Summary
- TransNusa Airlines CEO, Datuk Bernard Francis, expresses his satisfaction with the performance of the COMAC ARJ21 regional jet, claiming it has exceeded expectations.
- The ARJ21 has achieved a high on-time performance (OTP) of 90% or above and enables TransNusa to supply more flight frequencies on its routes.
- The airline is open to becoming the primary international operator of COMAC’s C919 aircraft.
TransNusa Airlines CEO Datuk Bernard Francis has said the COMAC ARJ21 has exceeded expectations in its early days on the Indonesian carrier. TransNusa became the primary foreign operator of a COMAC aircraft in April of this yr.
TransNusa’s ARJ21 impresses
Speaking on a media call on Wednesday, Francis said the China-made regional jet has “outperformed itself” in its first few months of service. Since launching its inaugural ARJ21 flight on April 18th, TransNusa has been operating the COMAC jet at a much higher every day utilization rate than the common airline in China.
Photo: TransNusa
The ARJ21 has risen to the test, achieving an on-time performance (OTP) of 90% or above up to now three months. Load aspects on the jet have been steadily increasing too, rising from 87% in May to 92% in July, demonstrating customer confidence.
From an operational perspective, TransNusa said the ARJ’s benefits over other regional jets include its highly-integrated avionics system and ergonomic, crew-centered design. Despite its lower capability in comparison with its Airbus A320 fleet, the airline favors a lower-capacity, higher-frequency model to present its passengers more flight timings throughout the day, adding that it could fill 95 seats in any respect hours of the day.
As for the passenger experience, TransNusa’s ARJ21s offer a seat pitch of 31 inches and a width of 17 inches, while the aisle width of 19 inches is similar to an A320. The regional jet can seat as much as 95 passengers in an all-economy, 3-2 configuration. TransNusa received its first ARJ21 in December before the second arrived in June – the airline placed an order for 30 of the jets back in 2021, with all deliveries expected through 2026.
Future C919 operator?
CEO Francis added TransNusa could be open to becoming the primary international operator of COMAC’s C919, given its satisfaction with the ARJ21. The medium-haul narrowbody accomplished its first revenue flight with China Eastern Airlines in May, although only two C919s have been put into service, each with China Eastern.