Regional jet makes demo flight in Inner Mongolia

The ARJ21-700, China's first domestically made regional jetliner, took a demonstration round trip flight from Hohhot to Ulanhot on Tuesday, preparing for potential commercial use of the aircraft in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, its manufacturer.

Operated by Chengdu Airlines, the flight was the first by the ARJ21-700 in Inner Mongolia; it is already in commercial use elsewhere. The area has been a major base for test flights in the alpine region.

The ARJ21-700 is the first jetliner made in China that is designed for flying in Western China, and it has proved that the aircraft is suitable for take-offs and landings at the plateau airports of Western China. Also, it can operate at ultra-low temperatures, as low as -30 C.

The model has been in commercial use for more than two years. In late 2015, the aircraft was delivered to its first customer, Chengdu Airlines, and conducted its first commercial flight in June 2016. In September, it started large-scale manufacturing.

The ARJ21-700 has netted 453 orders from 21 customers at home and abroad. So far, four aircraft have been delivered, and they have been operating on several routes, including flights between Chengdu and Shanghai, Chengdu and Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, Chengdu and Changsha, Central China's Hunan province, and Chengdu and Hefei and Central China's Hubei province, as well as Chengdu and Jinan, East China's Shandong province.

With 78 to 90 seats, the ARJ21-700 has a flying range of 2,225 to 3,700 kilometers. More than 50,000 passengers have flown on the aircraft.