China's first domestically built regional jet, the ARJ21, got its second customer on Monday, marking further commercialization and industrialization of the nation's aircraft sector.
The Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), the developer of the ARJ21, signed an agreement on Monday with Genghis Khan Airlines, a new regional carrier based in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The latter has become the second customer for the ARJ21 after Chengdu Airlines, said a statement posted on the website of COMAC on Monday.
According to the agreement, COMAC will deliver the first batch of ARJ21 jets to Genghis Khan Airlines by the end of this year, and the maiden flight will take place at the start of 2019. The airline will have the first fleet that is wholly composed of domestically made jets.
The two sides will establish a comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership in airplane operations, talent training and maintenance to meet the growing demand of air transportation in the area, the statement said.
Genghis Khan Airlines was approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in March. It has completed its professional personnel recruitment, including pilots, flight attendants and maintenance technicians, the Xinhua News Agency reported in August.
The ARJ21 jet, which has been in commercial use since being delivered to Chengdu Airlines in November 2015, has transported more than 160,000 people. The jet can accommodate at most 90 seats and cover a range of 3,700 kilometers.
Chengdu Airlines operates eight ARJ21 jetliners.
Internationally, ARJ21 regional jets are expected to enter the African market, according to a memorandum of understanding signed in September between Hainan Airlines (HNA) and COMAC, according to a separate Xinhua report in September.
HNA will deliver ARJ21s to African countries based on its global airline network and partnerships with African airlines such as Ghana-based AWA, said the report.
