Summary Air China holds the largest ARJ21 fleet, surpassing China Southern Airlines by delivering its 29th aircraft. The top 5 ARJ21 routes include Hohott-Chifeng, Chengdu-Shijiazhuang, Chengdu-Quzhou, Hohhot-Ulanhot, and Hohhot-Tongliao. Air China dominates these routes with multiple daily flights, contributing to the majority of Available Seat Miles (ASMs).
ARJ21, China's domestic product, has carried more than ten million passengers till date. The ARJ21 is China's Airbus A220 equivalent . Around two years ago, COMAC (the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) delivered its ARJ21 to its first foreign customer.
Currently, Air China has the largest ARJ21 fleet. After receiving its 29th ARJ21, Air China surpassed China Southern Airlines' and Chengdu Airlines' fleet of ARJ21. In this article, we will look at Air China's top 5 ARJ21 routes by Available Seat Miles (ASMs).
As orders are nearly fulfilled, COMAC urgently needs to find new orders or customers for the ARJ21 program to address overcapacity. 5 Hohott - Chifeng A route starting and ending in Inner Mongolia According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company , the fifth-highest ASMs offered on Air China's ARJ21 for September 2024 are on the 386-mile-long flights between Hohhot Baita International Airport (HET) and Chifeng Yulong Airport (CIF). Both of these airports serve Inner Mongolia.
The HET airport is big enough to accommodate the Airbus A380 and was used as a diversion airport during the 2008 Summer Olympics. Operations Seats ASMs 108 9,720 3,751,920 Plenty of carriers offer non-stop flights between HET and CIF . Let's take a look at the carriers operating direct flights on this route and the aircraft they use.
Airlines Aircraft Used Flight duration Genghis Khan Airlines ARJ21 1 hour 25 minutes Gestair Airbus A320 1 hour 25 minutes Tianjin Airlines Embraer 190 1 hour 25 minutes Suparna Airlines Boeing 737-800 Passenger 1 hour 30 minutes While the other carriers on this list have around one daily flight on this route, Tianjin Airlines and Air China offer 3–4 flights per day. Tianjin Airlines is the only carrier offering a one-stop flight on this route. Tianjin's 3 hour 40 minute one-stop flight from HET to CIF stops at Tongliao.
4 Chengdu - Shijiazhuang The route with the least number of operations on this list Air China's operation between Tianfu International Airport (TFU) to Shijiazhuang Daguocun International Airport (SJW) spans a distance of 804 miles. This is the second-longest distance on this list. All the ARJ21s of Air China are configured to serve 90 people.
This means that 60 Air China operations between TFU and SJW offer a total of 5,400 seats. Operations Seats ASMs 60 5,400 4,341,600 Air China's operations from ARJ21 on this route have a flight time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. This is the same as all other carriers that offer direct flights between TFU and SJW .
Airlines Aircraft Used Spring Airlines Airbus A320 Gestair Airbus A320 Hebei Airlines Boeing 737-800 Passenger Chengdu Airlines Airbus A320 Air China and Hebei Airlines are the only ones offering twice-daily flights between TFU and SJW. Sichuan Airlines is launching flights between TFU and SJW in October 2024. The ASMs on the TFU-SJW route are almost half of the highest ASMs on this list of Air China's top COMAC ARJ21 routes by ASMs.
3 Chengdu - Quzhou The longest route on this list Air China's 855-mile operation between Tianfu International Airport (TFU) and Quzhou Airport (JUZ) is the longest among the top 5 COMAC ARJ21 routes by ASMs. The number of seats available on this route is identical to the ones offered on the TFU-SJW route. Operations Seats ASMs 60 5,400 4,617,000 Air China is the sole operator of direct flights on this route.
This 2-hour 45-minute direct flight between TFU and JUZ is more than three hours shorter than one-stop flights. Let's take a look at the operations of a one-stop flight with the same airline between Chengdu and Quzhou. Airlines Aircraft Used Stopover at Flight Duration China Southern Airlines Airbus A320 Boeing 737-800 Passenger Guangzhou 6 hours and 25 minutes Shandong Airlines Boeing 737-800 Passenger Jinan 6 hours and 5 minutes 2 Hohhot - Ulanhot Air China is the only carrier offering more than 3–4 flights per day on this route Operations Seats ASMs 96 8,640 5,434,560 The Hohhot Baita International Airport (HET) features thrice on this list.
The second-highest ASMS on Air China's ARJ-21 is offered between HET Airport and Ulanhot Yilelite (Yileleeteuk) Airport (HLH). The ASMs on the HLH-HET route are almost 800,000 ASMS greater than the route with the third-highest ASM, and more than 3 million ASMs lower than the one with the highest ASMs. Air China competes with four other carriers for direct flights on this 629-mile route.
Air China's flights from HET to HLH have a flight time of two hours. This is the highest flight time for a direct flight on this route. Genghis Khan Airlines and Chengdu Airlines also offer direct flights on their ARJ21s, though the flight times are 15 and 10 minutes shorter, respectively.
1 Hohhot - Tongliao The route with the highest number of operations on this list. Air China's 565-mile route between HET Airport and Tongliao Airport (TGO) , as the first route on this list, operates within Inner Mongolia. Seventy-two more operations take place on this route than the route with the second-highest ASMs.
Operations Seats ASMs 168 15,120 8,542,800 Air China's 1 hour 55 minute flight on this route is also the longest direct flight. Let's take a look at carriers offering direct flights between HET and TGO. Airlines Aircraft Used Flight duration Genghis Khan Airlines ARJ21 1 hour 50 minutes Gestair Canadair (Bombardier) Regional Jet 900 Challenger 890 1 hour 38 minutes Tianjin Airlines Embraer 195 Legacy 1000 1 hour 50 minutes Chengdu Airlines Airbus A320 1 hour 50 minutes.
