KUCHING: The state government is looking to adopt the ARJ21 aircraft model from Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) for regional flights by air carrier MASwings.
State Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin said the ministry will be conducting the necessary technical and economical evaluation for integrating the aircraft into its fleet.
He said the aircraft’s capability to cover around 2,000 nautical miles in approximately 2.5 hours is suited for regional flights from Sarawak.
“It will be able to connect Sarawak to key destinations from such as Jakarta, Nusantara, Pontianak, Kuala Lumpur, or even Manila.
“Hence, we will be studying this. When we complete the takeover of MASwings and implement our regional flight plans, this may be one of the aircraft that we will be looking into.
“However, our technical team will need to conduct an evaluation before reaching a decision,” he said.
He said this during a press conference after welcoming the maiden arrival of the COMAC ARJ21 at the Kuching International Airport yesterday.
The narrow-body aircraft has a capacity of 78 seats with business class, or 97 seats without business class, while its European rival, the Airbus A320 has 180 seats maximum.
Lee said with typical flights such as the A320 carrying 60 to 70 passengers with frequency of twice daily, the ARJ21’s capacity aligns perfectly to regional needs, allowing for fuller flights and increased frequency.
“This allows for increased regularity and flexibility in scheduling, with the potential for up to 6 flights depending on demand. This will be more convenient for travelers, particularly for business, local commuters, and tourists,” he said.
The ARJ21 aircraft has been in operations in China since 2015.
Two units of the aircraft was delivered to its first overseas customer, TransNusa Airline in December 2022, serving routes from Jakarta to Bali, Yogyakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor Bahru.
Indonesia has ordered 60 units of the aircraft to be used for its fleet.
Also present were Consul General of the People’s Republic of China Xing Wei Ping, Deputy State Secretary Datuk Mohamad Abdullah Zaidel, Sarawak Transport Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Alice Jawan Empaling, Premier’s Department Economic Planning Unit director Datuk Lester Mathew, COMAC Marketing vice president Liu Yan, and HEE Group CEO Sherman Hooi Foat.
