It took three years
The first two ARJ21 regional jets in the cargo version have entered commercial service in China, as reported by TASS, citing the China Commercial Aviation Corporation, which developed the aircraft.
The project to convert the ARJ21 passenger regional aircraft to the needs of cargo aviation was launched in 2020. The cargo version is designed to transport up to 10 tons of commercial cargo over a distance of more than 2.7 thousand km
The first two ARJ21 aircraft in the cargo version entered service in China
The aircraft will be used mainly on domestic routes, flying between the cities of Zhengzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. In the future, they will be used to deliver goods to South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries.
The ARJ21 aircraft began to be designed 20 years ago, the first aircraft was assembled in 2007, and the first flight took place in 2008. But only in 2017 was a license received to begin its mass production.
The passenger version of the aircraft can carry from 78 to 90 people over a distance of 2.2 thousand to 3.7 thousand km.
