The ARJ21, a domestic civil aircraft, travels around the world with his family, which may sound exaggerated, but with the start of overseas operations of this domestic regional aircraft, the dream is not far away. At the end of 2022, the first overseas delivery of the ARJ21 passenger aircraft soared in Indonesia, drawing a new development picture for this aircraft.
What is the artifact of regional airliners? Let's first understand the difference between regional airliners and common airliners. Mainline airliners are responsible for long-distance transportation and usually fly transnational or transcontinental routes; Regional airliners, on the other hand, focus on short- and medium-haul transportation, and the main scope of operation is concentrated in small and medium-sized cities within a single country or region. Regional airliners are smaller in size and typically can carry just over 100 people at most, but they have the advantage of a wider route network with higher capacity density, making them ideal for complementing weak ground transportation networks.
Speaking of the ARJ21, the first overseas user of this domestically produced regional jet is Indonesia's Lingya Airlines. For a year, the ARJ21 has been running smoothly on the Jakarta-Bali route, with a daily utilization rate of more than 8 hours. In the future, with the expansion of the fleet, the ARJ21 route will be further expanded to the island region in northeastern Indonesia to meet the diversified needs of Chinese enterprises such as charter flights and worker transfers. The Indonesian climate is an excellent test for the ARJ21, with short runway take-off and landing, high temperature and humidity conditions, all of which have accumulated valuable experience for this aircraft.
In fact, as early as 8 years ago in 2016, ARJ21 was put into operation by many domestic airlines. Over the years, it has opened up more than 400 routes, more than 140 navigable cities, and carried out about 1,800 flights per week. By the end of 2022, the capacity of the ARJ21 exceeded 10 million. Unconsciously, this domestic aircraft has been opened up all over the north and south of the motherland. In addition to carrying passengers, the ARJ21 has also been expanded to cargo, business jets, medical aircraft and other use scenarios.
The success of the ARJ21 is not unique, it and the C919 carry the two major ambitions of the development of the continental branch line and the trunk line civil aircraft respectively. As a typical regional model, the ARJ21 has a small fuselage, limited seats, and short flight range, and its main operation scope focuses on small and medium-sized cities in China. The C919, on the other hand, is larger, has longer seats and range, and will focus on the long-haul transportation market. The market demand for branch lines and trunk lines coexists, and the two complement each other, each has its own positioning, and one is indispensable.
Looking forward to the next 20 years, benefiting from the surge in domestic air transport demand and the fleet refreshment, ARJ21, C919, C929 and other models will usher in greater market opportunities. According to some data, it is expected that by the middle of this century, the domestic civil aviation industry may have more than 10,000 aircraft in service. To meet this huge demand, around 500 new aircraft will need to be introduced every year over the next 20 years. At that time, ARJ21 has accumulated more operational experience and will further expand its domestic market share; The C929 and other models will be put into use, which will further release the huge market potential.
In fact, the rise of the mainland civil aircraft industry is inseparable from the recognition of the global market. The ARJ21 was well received during its tour in Southeast Asia, and VietJet Air has confirmed that it will introduce the aircraft. The development of small and medium-sized cities is a major trend, and with the continuous rollout of regional airliners to roll out the route network and plug in the wings of take-off for these cities, the spring of ARJ21 is just around the corner.
Compared with aviation giants such as Boeing and Airbus, which have a long history of development, although our civil aircraft industry started late, it has now caught up and shown strong competitiveness. Let's look forward to ARJ21 and C919 and other "Yanhuang Heroes" showing more impressive results in the global market!
The civil aviation industry is undoubtedly an industry with huge capital investment and high technical threshold. Being able to independently develop and mass-produce civil airliners in this field is a major breakthrough for any country. Since the 80s of the 20th century, the mainland has started the independent research and development of civil aircraft, and after decades of efforts, it has finally ushered in fruitful results.
The advent of ARJ21 and C919 marks that the mainland civil aircraft industry has entered a new stage of independent development. The two aircraft are positioned in the regional and mainline markets respectively, and there are also significant differences in operating models and design concepts. In addition to the ARJ21 and C919, Continental will also launch the C929, a wide-body long-haul passenger aircraft that will be able to meet a wide range of transportation needs, from short-haul to long-haul.
Having a fleet of multiple aircraft types will undoubtedly improve the capacity and service capacity of airlines compared to a single aircraft type. In the future, it is likely that large airlines will have three or more aircraft classes at the same time, which will be able to precisely match different transport tasks. Regional aircraft are put into short-haul routes, medium-sized aircraft fly medium-haul routes, and large wide-body aircraft undertake long-range tasks, and the three cooperate with each other and complement each other's advantages.
On the other hand, the development of domestic civil aircraft will also help small and medium-sized cities take off. Due to geographical and economic constraints, it is difficult for many small and medium-sized cities to build large airports and railways, and air transportation has become the best mode of travel. In response to this demand, smaller, more affordable regional airliners come into play. Aircraft such as the ARJ21 will give small and medium-sized cities wings to take off, open up fast lanes to connect large cities, and help form an efficient regional transportation network.
ARJ21 has achieved many positive results in domestic operations. It undertakes the routes of many small and medium-sized city airports, alleviates local travel problems, and greatly facilitates the life and work of the masses. In areas with more dispersed populations, such as the west, regional air transport plays an indispensable role. High-speed rail is highly efficient for medium- and long-distance transportation, but in remote and less populated areas, the cost return on building high-speed rail is often lower, making air transportation relatively more advantageous.
With the increase in the number of ARJ21 and C919 aircraft put into use, the fleet size and route network coverage will be further expanded, bringing new vitality to the external traffic of small and medium-sized cities. While contributing to regional economic development, this convenient air mobility will also greatly improve the travel experience of local people.
In the future, domestic aircraft such as ARJ21 and C919 will be all over the country, undertaking various regional and trunk transportation tasks, and becoming the mainstay of the development of domestic aviation. They will win a place in the global civil aviation market with their excellent performance and good economy. Compared with the old foreign models, the ARJ21 and C919 have shown the excellent strength of the latecomers, and it is only a matter of time before they catch up. Standing at a new historical node, we look forward to these "Made in China" boutiques to continue to write a more brilliant chapter for the mainland's civil aviation industry!