Shenzhen Airlines’ domestic regional carrier Kunpeng Airlines has ordered five Embraer 190s and hopes to eventually get Chinese Government approval for a total of 50.
A senior source at Kunpeng says China’s National Development Reform Commission (NDRC) has granted approval for the airline to purchase five E-190s and the first is to be delivered in late August.
The source says an agreement was signed late last year with Embraer for 50 E-190s but the carrier is still waiting on NRDC approval for the other 45.
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All the E-190s are the long-range model because Kunpeng plans to eventually move beyond the domestic market and launch international services to neighbouring countries, says the source.
“We analysed the regional jet market in China and decided 90- and 100-seat aircraft are more suitable for this market,” says the source.
“The E-190 is a very popular aircraft and the residual value is very high.”
Another reason Kunpeng chose the E-190 is so it can compete effectively against other Chinese carriers.
“Our major competitor Grand China Express also ordered 50 E-190s and they have already had delivered two or three so in order to compete with Grand China Express we need brand new regional jet aircraft.”
Grand China Express is part of Hainan Airlines and is a regional jet operator based in China’s port city of Tianjin.
Kunpeng is a joint venture between Shenzhen Airlines, China’s fifth-largest passenger carrier, and Mesa Air Group, a regional airline group from the USA.
Kunpeng started operations in September and today has a fleet of five Bombardier CRJ200s, four of which are based in Xian and one in Nanning, says the source.
Next month the airline will open a base in Zhengzhou, a city in eastern China’s Henan province, adds the source.
According to Flight’s ACAS database Bombardier Capital owns one of the CRJ200s and the other four are from GE Commercial Aviation Services.
But the source says all five CRJ200s are on sub-leases from Mesa and Kunpeng has decided it will no longer get any more CRJ200s.
Because the E-190 is a new aircraft type for Kunpeng, it is sending pilots to Switzerland for simulator training, says the source.
There is also an E-190 flight simulator centre at Alteon Training in Singapore but Kunpeng has to wait for the Civil Aviation Administration of China to give the go-ahead before sending pilots there, adds the source, who confirms Kunpeng will be sourcing pilots from overseas and from Shenzhen Airlines.
Kunpeng disclosed last year that it was looking to place an order in December 2007 for 50 regional jets and was considering the AVIC I Commercial Aircraft (ACAC) ARJ21-700 and ARJ21-900, the Embraer 170 and 190, Bombardier CRJ700/900/1000 and the Sukhoi Superjet 100.
On 21 December, during a publicly televised rollout ceremony of the ARJ21-700, Shenzhen Airlines president Li Kun signed an order for 100 ARJ21-700s on behalf of Kunpeng.
The source ATI spoke to today says: “We signed an agreement during the ceremony and we will keep our promise… But as far as I know eventual delivery of the ARJ21” to Kunpeng will only start in 2011 or 2012.
This is because the first lot of ARJ21s to be produced will be delivered to launch customers, says the source, referring to launch customers such as Shandong Airlines and Shanghai Airlines.
“We applied for foreign-[produced] aircraft because we cannot” wait until 2011 or 2012 before taking delivery of 90-seat regional jets, adds the source.
First flight of the ARJ21-700 is due to occur in September or October of this year and the first aircraft is due to be delivered to Shandong Airlines towards the end of next year.
Both the E-190 and the ARJ21-700 are 90-seaters powered by General Electric CF34 engines.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
Source: Flight International
