Shanghai has welcomed a new link with Bejing courtesy of OTT Airlines, a newly-founded subsidiary business run by China Eastern Airlines (CEA). The regional carrier completed its maiden flight between the two cities on Monday 28 December, using an ARJ21, the first turbofan regional passenger jetliner produced by China, which can carry up to 90 passengers.
Until March 2021, OTT Airlines will fly the routes from Shanghai to Beijing, Nanchang, East China’s Jiangxi Province, Hefei, East China’s Anhui Province and Wenzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province. OTT Airlines currently has three ARJ21-700 jets, and is expected to receive another six in the next year eight more in 2022. In total, the fleet will include 35 ARJ21 jets by 2025.
The airline’s aim is to fly homegrown passenger jets in China’s mainland market, ARU21 and C919, both manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China will comprise the majority of the new carrier’s fleet.
The regional carrier is a welcome boost to the local economy with an operation team consisting of 15 pilots, 28 flight attendants, nine safety officers, two dispatchers and more than 30 engineers.
