Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) delivered an ARJ21 aircraft for the first time at COMAC Jiangxi Production Flight Test Center on October 30th, 2020, which was the third ARJ21 aircraft received by Jiangxi Air. The ARJ21 aircraft with a painting of "Yichun" is in all economy-class cabin configuration with seats for 90 passengers, and follows the themed cabin service mode of "one aircraft, one city, and one culture" for the ARJ21 aircraft of Jiangxi Air. This is another painting with Jiangxi characteristics after those of ARJ21 Jinggangshan and ARJ21 Jingdezhen, which deeply integrates the cabin service experience with the characteristic culture of Jiangxi, and allows the China-made civil aircraft to fly higher and farther carrying the strong "Jiangxi Red Culture".
Mr. Wu Xiaojun, Member of Standing Committee of the CPC Jiangxi Provincial Committee and Secretary of the CPC Nanchang Municipal Committee, Mdm Wu Zhongqiong, Member of Standing Committee of the CPC Jiangxi Provincial Committee and Vice Governor of Jiangxi Province, Mr. He Dongfeng, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of COMAC, and Mr. Tang Jianqi, Vice President of Xiamen Air, jointly unveiled the first ARJ21 aircraft delivered at COMAC Jiangxi Production Flight Test Center. Mr. Zhao Yuerang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of COMAC, Mr. Huang Xizhong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Nanchang Municipal Committee and Mayor of Nanchang, and Mr. Zhang Zhizhong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Jiangxi Air, made a speech respectively. Mr. Guo Bozhi, Member of Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of COMAC, presented an aircraft key to Jiangxi Air on behalf of the company. Mr. Wei Yingbiao, Member of Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of COMAC, presided over the delivery ceremony.
Mr. Zhao Yuerang, on behalf of COMAC, expressed heartfelt gratitude to Jiangxi province, Nanchang city and Jiangxi Air for their generous support in the trunk liner career. He pointed out that Jiangxi province was one of the closest partners in the trunk liner career, and had provided full support for COMAC to strengthen its core business layout in Jiangxi. He hoped that all parties would work hand in hand to ensure the safe and stable operation of the ARJ21 aircraft of Jiangxi Air, and promote the accelerated development of the air transportation industry in Jiangxi province; and would continually deepen strategic cooperation to give full play to the industrial leading role of trunk liner projects, attract more enterprises in Jiangxi province to deeply participate in the development and production of trunk liners, and promote the development of the aviation industry in Jiangxi to continually achieve more fruitful results.
Mr. Huang Xizhong, on behalf of the CPC Nanchang Municipal Committee and Nanchang municipal government, extended warm congratulations on the first delivery of ARJ21 aircraft at COMAC Jiangxi Production Flight Test Center, and expressed heartfelt gratitude to all sectors of society who had been caring about and supporting the development of the aviation industry in Nanchang. He pointed out that the first delivery of ARJ21 aircraft at COMAC Jiangxi Production Flight Test Center was a concrete manifestation of the continuous deepening of strategic cooperation between Nanchang and COMAC, and would surely further enhance the aviation manufacturing capability of Nanchang. He hoped that the both sides would further expand the scope and depth of cooperation, promote the layout of more aviation businesses in Nanchang, and promote the development of more aviation enterprises in Nanchang.
Mr. Zhang Zhizhong expressed that Jiangxi Air had focused on the overall development, actively devoted to the development of the China-made civil aircraft, explored the characteristic service mode and business mode for the China-made civil aircraft, insisted on the principle of being "quality first", smoothly ensured the safe and stable operation of the two ARJ21 aircraft, and initially established operation specifications and service standards for the ARJ21 aircraft of Jiangxi Air. Jiangxi Air would continue to meet the requirements of high-quality development, and make every effort to ensure that the China-made civil aircraft can fly safely, smoothly and efficiently, in order to make new and greater contributions to the strategy of reinvigorating China through civil aviation and the strategy of "Made in China".
COMAC Jiangxi Production Flight Test Center is located in Nanchang Aerospace Industry Town in Nanchang National High-tech Industrial Development Zone. The foundation stone was laid on April 26th, 2019. The total area is about 365 mu, including a completion center, a painting workshop, a delivery center building, a parking apron, etc. This center will be mainly responsible for the interior installation, painting, flight test support, customer delivery support, repair and maintenance, and operation support of ARJ21 aircraft, as well as the support of the scientific research, certification and flight test of C919 aircraft, which will further promote and enhance the off-site production and flight test capabilities of COMAC.
At present, Jiangxi Air has a fleet of 13 aircraft, including 3 ARJ21 aircraft, and it is estimated that the number of aircraft in ARJ21 fleet of Jiangxi Air will reach 5 by the end of 2021. As the first airline operating the China-made regional jet in East China, Jiangxi Air has actively explored the characteristic service mode and business mode for the China-made civil aircraft, specially set up a China-made civil aircraft operation center, an ARJ21 flight workshop and an ARJ21 maintenance workshop, and striven to build itself into a demonstration operation base of the China-made civil aircraft.
Jiangxi province is the cradle of Chinese aviation industry and has a strong foundation in aviation industry. In recent years, Jiangxi province has given full play to the advantages of the aviation industry and fully supported the trunk liner industry to take root in Jiangxi. COMAC has actively involved in the development of the aviation industry in Jiangxi province, and both sides have carried out extensive cooperation in the areas such as commercial aircraft industry extension, market expansion, flight test and supply chain cooperation. This delivery has a positive impact on Jiangxi province in the development of the civil aviation industry and the utilization of the aviation industry cluster effect, and will further help Jiangxi realize its "aviation dream".
Representatives from Jiangxi province, Nanchang city, Jiangxi Air, COMAC, suppliers and news media attended the ceremony. (Editor: Li Xinyang, Photographers: Wang Jiliang and Xu Bingnan)