Aircraft

Pictures: Final assembly work on China's ARJ21 regional jet about to start, aims for December completion

By Leithen Francis

Final assembly work is due to commence this month on China’s first ARJ21-700 regional jet aircraft and it should be completed in December in time for the first flight test next March.

AVIC 1 Commercial Aircraft (ACAC) is the company leading the project and a spokesman in Shanghai says the ARJ21 final assembly plant has received many of the aircraft parts and final assembly will start this month.

ACAC is overseeing the work but final assembly takes place at AVIC1’s Shanghai Aircraft (SAC) and the major sub-assemblies are largely made at other AVIC 1 factories across the country.

The spokesman says the day before yesterday Xian Aircraft (XAC) delivered an ARJ21 mid-fuselage and one set of wings to SAC. “It is the most important development in the ARJ21 programme,” claims the ACAC spokesman.

© ACAC

XAC, which is based in the western Chinese city of Xian, is the main supplier to the ARJ21 programme.

Other parts already delivered to SAC for final assembly include the aircraft’s nose, which AVIC 1’s Chengdu Aircraft delivered in December, and a front fuselage section that XAC delivered to Shanghai in September, according to ACAC’s spokesman.

“December this year assembly of the first aircraft will be completed. March next year will be the first flight and around July 2009 the aircraft will be delivered to the first airline customer Shandong Airlines,” he adds.

The ARJ21-700 is a 90-seat regional jet aircraft that China has developed with assistance from western suppliers such as General Electric, which is supplying the engines, and Rockwell Collins, which is supplying the avionics.

China’s ARJ21 programme has so far received firm orders from Shandong Airlines (10 aircraft), Shenzhen Financial Leasing (20) and Shanghai Airlines (five). It also has memoranda of understanding from Xiamen Airlines for six and SE Leasing for 30.