Chinese-made C919, ARJ21 jetliners on show in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese state-owned aircraft manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) on Wednesday carried out a static display of its C919 aircraft and a demonstration flight of its ARJ21 jetliner in Cambodia.

The COMAC held the static display of the C919 passenger aircraft at the Phnom Penh International Airport before conducting a fantastic demo flight of the ARJ21 passenger jetliner on the round-trip route from the capital Phnom Penh to the tourist province of Siem Reap.

The event attracted dozens of civil aviation officials and representatives of airline companies.

The single-aisle C919 is a narrow-body passenger aircraft with a maximum capacity of 192 seats, while the ARJ21 is a twin-engined jet with a maximum of 90 seats.

The COMAC began to showcase its self-developed C919 and ARJ21 jets in Southeast Asia after finishing the Singapore Airshow 2024 late last month, marking the first display of the two jetliners outside China.

After the airshow, the two homegrown jetliners had flown from Singapore to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and their next showcase flights will be in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Cambodia's State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA)'s Undersecretary of State and Spokesman Sinn Chanserey Vutha said Cambodia supported the entry of C919 and ARJ21 jets into the aircraft market.

"This is a good sign for the aircraft market," he told Xinhua while attending the demo flight event.

Chanserey Vutha said C919 and ARJ21 jets will provide more options to airline operators and that the Chinese planes have been manufactured with the latest modern technologies.

"The airliners can consider whether they should buy or should lease the aircraft," he said.

"We hope this aircraft will enter the Southeast Asian market soon, so we expect that our Cambodian airlines also express their interest for this type of aircraft."

During the demo flight, passengers said they experienced a comfortable ride because they did not hear much noise, and the plane's aisle and seats are spacious.

"I like this plane's seat. It is very economic, strong, and slim," SSCA's permanent secretary of state Chea Aun told Xinhua while attending the event.

According to the Shanghai-headquartered COMAC, the demo flights aimed to verify the planes' adaptabilities to airports and routes in the Southeast Asian countries, laying a foundation for the company's future exploration of the Southeast Asian market.