China News Service, Guangzhou, June 28 (Reporter Guo Jun) At 12:23 on June 28, an ARJ21 aircraft numbered B-605W took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, marking the first delivery of COMAC to China Southern Airlines ARJ21 aircraft. It is estimated that by 2024, China Southern’s ARJ21 fleet will reach 35.
At 14:17 that day, China Southern's first ARJ21 aircraft landed smoothly at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. It is reported that Air China and China Eastern also received their first ARJ21 aircraft on the same day.
In order to successfully complete the pick-up task of the first ARJ21 aircraft, China Southern sent an elite flight crew and cabin crew. Captain Chen Fan told reporters: "The ARJ21 aircraft's avionics system and autonomous driving system have excellent performance, smooth and comfortable operation, and are a very good aircraft!"
Photograph by Guo Jun, China Southern's first domestic ARJ21 aircraft
Pan Wei, the chief flight attendant of China Southern Airlines, has participated in the pick-up mission for 15 years, flying nearly 15,600 hours safely. She said excitedly: "I am very honored and proud to be able to participate in the pick-up!"
According to the relevant person in charge of China Southern Airlines, China Southern Airlines will take advantage of the large aircraft fleet's operational support advantages and networked market advantages, and strive to ensure that ARJ21 aircraft are well protected, operated, and well developed. Early consideration is to deploy operations at the Guangzhou headquarters, relying on China Southern's strongest maintenance and operation capabilities, optimize the support program, and ensure orderly operation. At the same time, based on the range and economic efficiency of the ARJ21 aircraft, China Southern Airlines will match it with the best route, expand the feeder market, accumulate enough operating experience and gradually deploy to Beijing Daxing Airport to expand the service scope of the Guangzhou-Beijing dual hub. In addition, ARJ21 aircraft will be put into operation one after another, rapidly accumulating domestic commercial aircraft operation experience, continuously optimizing and improving the reliability and economy of domestic commercial aircraft, and bringing passengers an “affordable and refined” service experience.
The reporter learned that the ARJ21 aircraft introduced by China Southern Airlines adopts a 90-seat all-economy class layout. The cabin seats use the "second to third right" seat layout. Each row of seats is equipped with a USB charging socket at the rear to facilitate passengers to charge electronic devices. In addition, the width of each seat is 17 inches, which is the same size as the mainstream narrow-body passenger economy class seats; the cabin aisle width is 19 inches, which is the same as the mainstream narrow-body passenger aircraft aisle width; the seat front and rear spacing is 31 inches, which is the same as the mainstream wide-body aircraft The seats in the economy class have the same front and rear spacing.
It is understood that the ARJ21 aircraft is mainly used to meet the requirements of the radial route from the central city to the surrounding small and medium-sized cities, and has the characteristics of adaptability, comfort, economy, commonality and serialization. Through the development of ARJ21 aircraft, China has completed the entire process of jet passenger aircraft design, manufacturing, testing, test flight, mass production, delivery, and operation for the first time, mastering the core technology of civil jet transportation aircraft development, and filling the independent development of jet transportation in China. The blank of the entire aircraft practice has achieved a significant increase in the integration and innovation capabilities of jet transportation civil aircraft in China's aviation industry. (Finish)