ARJ21-700
China will sell 25 jets to a US company in a ‘breakthrough’ deal that marks the country’s entry into the big-plane market dominated by European and US players.
China’s homegrown ARJ21-700 regional jet, which rolled off the production line on December 21 last year will be exported to the US.
The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, which developed the ARJ21-700 regional aircraft independently, will sign a RMB5-billion ($735 million) contract on this week according to the Guangzhou Daily.
The deal, to be inked on the opening day of the 7th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, proves China’s homemade aircraft have won international recognition.
The ARJ21, an acronym for Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st Century, is China’s first homemade regional jet.
The ARJ21 can carry 70 to 110 passengers, and rolled out of a Shanghai factory in December last year. It has yet to take its maiden commercial flight and get a certificate from the US-based Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The ARJ21-700 has a maximum range of 2,000 nautical miles, and is scheduled to take its first commercial flight by the end of November
Source: China Daily