China's AVIC I Commercial Aircraft (ACAC) has unveiled business jet and freighter variants of its ARJ21 regional jet and has selected Canada's CAE to develop a flight simulator for the aircraft. ACAC and CAE signed a memorandum of understanding in Zhuhai calling for one full-flight simulator to be delivered in 2008, when the 78- to 85-seat ARJ21-700 is scheduled to enter service. ACAC is to house the simulator in Shanghai.
The simulator will initially be used by launch customers Shandong Airlines and Shanghai Airlines. ACAC says it may acquire additional simulators if there are more sales of the aircraft. So far ACAC has signed 35 orders, including 10 from Shandong, five from Shanghai and 20 from Shenzhen Leasing. ACAC was planning to sign a contract at Zhuhai for another six ARJ21-700s from Xiamen Airlines, but says Xiamen needs more time to complete this deal. Xiamen also has expressed interest in the 98- to 105-seat ARJ21-900, but ACAC says it is now focusing on the baseline aircraft and is not yet offering the stretched version.
The ARJ21-700F freighter and ARJ21-700B business jet are based on the baseline aircraft, with the addition of an auxiliary fuel tank on the ARJ21-700B. ACAC says it is still studying the potential market for these aircraft.
The development of the ARJ21 has slowed sales of other regional jets in China as the government has imposed a hefty tax on regional jet imports. The Embraer ERJ-145 is not subject to the tax because it is now being assembled in China.
Source: Flight International
