C919, ARJ21 land for Singapore show
CHINA’S five homegrown jetliners made their first “group appearance” overseas as the Singapore Airshow kicked off at the Changi Exhibition Center yesterday.
The quintet consists of two C919, the country’s first homegrown large passenger jet, and three ARJ21 passenger jetliners, which are open to the public at model exhibition, outdoor static display and flying shows during the event ending on Sunday.
Multiple models, including the 1:20scale C919, ARJ21 and C929 as well as 1:32-scale ARJ21 aircraft, are presented inside the exhibition hall. The C919 and ARJ21 airliners presented outdoors welcome onboard visits.
Developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd, the C919 is a two-engine narrow-body airliner with 158 to 192 seats and a flight range of 4,075 to 5,555 kilometers.
It adopts cutting-edge aerodynamic design, advanced propulsion systems and materials, featuring lower carbon emissions and higher fuel efficiency.
The first C919 aircraft made its inaugural commercial flight between Shanghai and the Chinese capital Beijing on May 28, 2023. Currently, four C919s have been put into operation, serving more than 110,000 passenger trips.
The ARJ21 regional jet can carry 78 to 97 passengers with a range of 2,225 to 3,700 kilometers. It features an outstanding performance in takeoff and landing at high-temperature, high-altitude airports and strong crosswind resistance capabilities. A total of 127 ARJ21 jets have been delivered since its commercial operation in June 2016, safely transporting more than 11 million passenger trips.
On the same day, new orders for C919 and ARJ21 jetliners were finalized between two Chinese air-service companies and COMAC.
Tibet Airlines ordered 40 units of C919 high-altitude variant and 10 units of ARJ21 high-altitude variant. Henan Civil Aviation Development & Investment Group signed an order for six ARJ21 variants, respectively, for fire extinguishment, medical service and emergency rescue command.
COMAC noted that it will carry out promotion activities at the airshow to enhance networks with clients and partners.
Aerobatic teams from India, Indonesia, Australia, South Korea, and an Airbus A350-1000 also contributed performances at the airshow.
Singapore Air Force sent its F-15 fighter jet and Apache attack helicopter to perform aerobatics at the annual aviation event.
The airshow, attended by over 1,000 participating companies, is expected to attract 50,000 trade participants from over 50 countries and regions.
The Singapore Airshow has set up a country pavilion for 40 Chinese aerospace enterprises for the first time, according to the organizer.
Aerospace Times Feipeng Co from east China’s Jiangsu Province has brought its cargo delivery unmanned aerial vehicles to the Singapore Airshow.
“It is the first time we are attending an airshow abroad. We hope to create more connections with overseas clients and provide them with new cargo delivery solutions featuring low cost and high efficiency,” said Liu Zefeng, general manager of the UAV company.
(Agencies)