Bali, Indonesia, 19 April 2023 - Indonesia’s TransNusa Airlines (“TransNusa”) is pleased to announce that it officially put its first COMAC ARJ21 aircraft into commercial operation after passing a series of strict air operator’s certificates from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Indonesia (DGCA) and has completed its inaugural flight from Jakarta to Bali, starting to provide safe, comfortable and affordable air travel services for passengers from Indonesia and all over the world.
The ARJ21 aircraft is a short-medium range turbofan regional aircraft developed by COMAC, with a flight range of 2225-3700 kilometers. It has good high-temperature performance and cross-wind resistance, and is suitable for Indonesia's climate and geographical operating environment. The aircraft is powered by two GE CF34-10A engines, a highly reliable and widely used engine for regional aircrafts, equipped with Honeywell Flight Control System and Collins Aerospace Avionics System. Up to now, more than 100 ARJ21 aircraft have been delivered, and the safe operation has cumulative flight hours exceeded 200,000.
The ARJ21 aircraft introduced by TransNusa is configured with a 95 seats all-economy class layout. TransNusa has specified the cabin interior, passenger seats and livery, and all seats are covered with leather fabrics. The fuselage of the aircraft is painted with the Indonesian national flag, and the livery adopted the color tone of the TransNusa logo, reflecting the firm commitment to the sustainable development of aviation.
Bernard Francis, CEO of TransNusa, said: “We fully support the tourism promotion program initiated by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism to attract tourists visiting Indonesia, supporting economic growth in the tourism industry. As part of our support for this initiative, we are introducing the ARJ21-700 aircraft which is the right fit for the Southeast Asian market and adapting to market demand with the optimistic configuration. We believe that ARJ21 aircraft can well match the rapidly developing aviation market in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, and provide passengers with high-quality air travel options. "
Winnie Liu, Executive Director, Deputy CEO of CALC and Commissioner of TransNusa, said: "CALC joins with TransNusa to congratulate the ARJ21’s official commercial operation in Indonesia operated by TransNusa today. We are full of confidence in the performance of the ARJ21 aircraft, in the operation and support services system set by COMAC in Indonesia, and in the prospect of the integration of the aviation industry and finance development of the industry chain in China. ARJ21 is a safe, reliable, economical and environment-friendly aircraft, and a quality aircraft asset, which is ideally suited for the geographical and climatic conditions of the ASEAN region, and also fills the gap in the market for 100-seat regional aircraft in the post-epidemic era. "
Zhang Mingao, Executive Director, President of China Everbright Limited and Chairman of CALC, added, “Indonesia is the largest economy in ASEAN and one of the fastest-growing air travel markets in the world. China Everbright Limited is very optimistic about the Indonesian aviation market. We will continue to support the development of CALC's business in the ASEAN region to provide better and higher quality services for the regional market. China Everbright Limited is fully confident of the development prospects of CALC, and will continue to guide and support CALC to expand its leasing services for COMAC aircraft, and facilitate the cross-border aviation industry chain.”
Wu Yongliang, Vice President and CFO of COMAC said: "We sincerely thank TransNusa and CALC for their trust. This first commercial flight marks the official start of the "new voyage" of ARJ21 aircraft operating in the Indonesian market. COMAC will do its best in operating and service support, closely cooperating with TransNusa to provide passengers with a more comfortable air experience, and contributing to Indonesia's air transportation network and market development."