The Chinese regional airliner COMAC ARJ21-700 could debut in Africa soon if it depends on the government of the Republic of Congo. This was revealed by the Minister of International Cooperation and Public-Private Partnership, Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso, on May 16th.
Sassou Bguesso participated in the relaunch of the flag carrier ECAir (Equatorial Congo Airlines), which had gone bankrupt in 2016 and was rescued by the government.
During the ceremony at Brazzaville International Airport, the minister stated that ECAir should receive three ARJ21 jets from COMAC, part of an agreement between the country and China.
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According to him, the Chinese state-owned company AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) was essential for ECAir to return to flying with its only Boeing 737-700 by overhauling the aircraft’s engines.
ECAir debuted flights in 2010 and had 737 and 757 aircraft in its fleet. In 2016, sunk in debt, the airline suspended flights after suppliers suspended services due to lack of payments.
TransNusa is the only foreign operator
Commercial aircraft developed on Boeing’s MD-95 platform, the ARJ21 is a 90-passenger regional jet equipped with GE CF-34 engines.
The aircraft completed its maiden flight in November 2008, but only entered service in June 2016.
There are currently more than 130 aircraft delivered, two of them flying with Indonesia’s TransNusa, its only customer outside China.
