Shanghai's Pudong International Airport will handle its first commercial flight by homegrown aircraft ARJ21 on May 16, the Shanghai Airport ity said.
The ARJ21-700 aircraft will ply a new route between Nanchang of Jiangxi province and Shanghai every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The flight will be operated by Jiangxi Air.
Developed and manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in accordance with international standards, the ARJ21 stands for Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st century. COMAC has delivered 25 ARJ21 to its clients since 2015.
While mainstream commercial aircraft are designed for long-distance flights between destinations with high travel demand, the short-to-medium range ARJ21 is catered toward less popular destinations in the region.
Jiangxi Air is the first carrier in East China to operate a flight by China's own regional aircraft. Its first ARJ21 flight from Jinggangshan Airport in Jiangxi province to the provincial capital of Nanchang took off on May 15.
CCTV reported that one-way tickets for this particular route can be as low as 290 yuan ($40.8).