ARJ21 jetliner completes 1st flight to Heilongjiang

The ARJ21, China's first domestically made regional passenger jetliner, made its first flight to Heilongjiang province of Northeast China on Wednesday, and it signifies that Harbin will become one of the aviation hubs for the aircraft.

Operated by Chengdu Airlines, the aircraft flew Wednesday morning from Chengdu, Sichuan province to Harbin, Heilongjiang province with a stop in Jinan, Shandong province, and the total flying distance was more than 3,200 kilometers. In the afternoon, the aircraft took off again and flew from Harbin to the city of Heihe in Heilongjiang province before returning back to Harbin.

"The new flight indicates that a new operation model, which makes Harbin a hub to develop regional operations, has officially started. The growth of the Chinese jetliner's route operations and the path to industrialization is constantly moving forward," said a statement by Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), the manufacturer of the ARJ21.

The ARJ21 model has been in commercial use for more than two years. With 78 to 90 seats, the aircraft has a flying range of 2,225 to 3,700 kilometers. Currently, Chengdu Airlines, its first customer, operates five such aircraft, with the fifth aircraft delivered on Sunday. The fleet has been flying safely for more than 2,600 hours, and transferred more than 65,000 passengers.

From now on, the ARJ21 will use Harbin as a hub, in addition to Chengdu, and fly five related routes. They include the flight from Chengdu to Jinan and then to Harbin, in addition to flights from Harbin to four regional spots in the province. These are Heihe, Wudalianchi, Fuyuan and Jiamusi.

"This will be beneficial for the international aviation hub development of Harbin, and the communication and cooperation between Harbin and other institutions at home and abroad. It will also help the province utilize its tourism resources and fuel economic growth," COMAC said in a statement.

In 2010, the ARJ21 aircraft completed ground tests in Harbin, and proved that it can operate safely at ultralow temperatures as well as weather conditions of ice on the ground and freezing rain.