Chinese ARJ21 jetliner approaches 100 aircraft delivered

COMAC accelerated deliveries in 2022, with at least 26 units completed. Absolute majority for Chinese airlines
COMAC, China’s leading commercial aircraft manufacturer, is about to complete a hundred ARJ21-700 jets delivered. According to Planespotter records, the 90-seat aircraft has already had 97 units completed, including 10 that are registered with the company itself.

In 2022, there are at least 26 records of deliveries of the twin-engine jet, the first considered to be designed by China – the ARJ21, however, is heavily “inspired” by the US MD-90 models.

The delivery movement at the COMAC plant in Shanghai on the fourth quarter was intense. To date, 15 aircraft have been delivered to customers including Air China, Chengdu Airlines, OTT Airlines and China Express Airlines.

As can be seen, all of them Chinese carriers, linked to the communist government, which determines which planes they should use, but weeks ago the delivery of the first ARJ21 took place for an external customer, TransNusa, from Indonesia.

State “sponsorship” explains the success of the ARJ21 after years of slow development, but it is still a worrying situation for western competitors.

With one of the largest air travel markets in the world, China is a priority for Airbus, Boeing and Embraer, however, the scenario promises to be difficult in the coming years. In addition to the ARJ21, the C919, with 168 seats, is also expected to follow a similar path, with hundreds of orders from Chinese airlines.

Even if it depends only on the domestic market, COMAC should assume the position of the third largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft in the world, displacing Embraer.

The ARJ21, whose first plane was delivered in June 2016, already easily surpasses the Brazilian manufacturer’s total E2 jets, which until last week totaled 66 aircraft sent to customers – including jets that are registered in the company’s name, for reasons of of isonomy with the COMAC figures.

This year, COMAC delivered twice as many ARJ21s compared to the E2s – 13 E195-E2s delivered, including two to Porter Airlines.

Embraer still maintains an advantage due to the E175, a popular 1st gen version that has been widely accepted in the USA, but with the pace of production accelerating and the start of deliveries of the C919, COMAC will certainly gain an advantage in the coming years.