Indonesian carrier TransNusa is set to operate the Comac ARJ21 regional jet on flights to Kuala Lumpur, marking the type’s first international route since it entered commercial service seven years ago.
The low-cost carrier will operate the regional jet on all flights between Jakarta and the Malaysian capital from 24 July, according to flight schedules on its website.
TransNusa operates twice-daily flights between the two cities with Airbus A320s. From 24 July, it will double its frequencies on the route. While its A320s seat between 168 and 174 passengers, TransNusa’s ARJ21s are configured with 95 seats in an all-economy layout.
TransNusa is the sole foreign customer for the ARJ21, and has operated the type since April between Jakarta and Denpasar Bali. It has two examples in its fleet, PK-TJA and -TJB, both of which were delivered in 2022 and on lease from lessor CALC, according to Cirium fleets data. In January 2021, CALC placed an order for 30 ARJ21s with TransNusa.
The lessor holds an interest in TransNusa via its 72.28% stake in Aviation Synergy (Caymen), which in turn owns Naga Pacific Holdings, which holds 49% of the airline’s shares.
Neither TransNusa or Comac have issued a statement about the upcoming flight, which was first reported in Malaysian news outlet New Straits Times. The ARJ21 is predominatly operated within China, by airlines such as launch customer Chengdu Airlines, Air China and China Express Airlines.
