The CEO of the Indonesian low-cost carrier, TransNusa (8B, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta), says he is most happy with the performance of the airline's pair of ARJ21-700s and is open to acquiring C919s.
Speaking to reporters during a media call last week, CEO Bernard Francis said the Chinese-manufactured aircraft has "out-performed itself" during its first few months of flying for TransNusa. The airline has two of the type, PK-TJA (msn 186), acquired in December 2022, and PK-TJB (msn 192), acquired in June. TransNusa also has a further 28 on order and is the first non-China-based operator of the type.
He said average passenger loads on the 95-seat plane were running at over 90% across July, and the aircraft's reliability was leading to 90% plus on-time performance rates, encouraging Francis to work the aircraft harder with additional daily flights. The newest ARJ21, PK-TJB, is now exclusively tasked with operating on the Jakarta Soekarno Hatta - Kuala Lumpur International route and is typically operating four flights per day, while PK-TJA also flies that route along with domestic sectors such as Jakarta Soekarno Hatta - Denpasar. PK-TJA can work up to six flights daily, although four appears to be the norm.
During the same media call, Francis said that based on the initial success of the ARJ21-700, he would be open to ordering and operating the larger CRJ919. It remains early days for that aircraft type with COMAC having only produced seven so far, retaining six as test beds and sending one to China Eastern Airlines (MU, Shanghai Hongqiao), where it operates on several domestic routes. Francis did not elaborate further on any potential C919 acquisition plans but noted that TransNusa could also become the first foreign operator to order that type.
China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings (CALC) holds a 49% equity interest in PT TransNusa Aviation Mandiri (TransNusa's formal name). CALC is itself a subsidiary of the state-owned China Everbright Group which has a long-term customer relationship with state-owned COMAC.
