Genghis Khan Airlines' first licensed commercial flight ARJ21 takes off from the Hohhot Baita International Airport in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on July 26. Photo: IC

China's Genghis Khan Airlines has proposed a plan to build a civilian airline network with the ARJ21, China's first indigenously developed regional aircraft, according to its developer.

The Hohhot-based air carrier plans to expand its fleet to 25 ARJ21 airplanes in five years, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd (COMAC) said.

With the ARJ21 planes, Genghis Khan Airlines is gearing up to build a regional airline network with 60 air routes connected to 40 destinations.

Established in March 2018, Genghis Khan Airlines is based in Hohhot Baita International Airport in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

It is the country's first air carrier which operates a fleet entirely comprised of domestic civil airplanes. To date, it has received two ARJ21 airplanes from the COMAC.

From July 26, the airline entered the ARJ21 airplanes into commercial operation on two round trip routes, from Hohhot to Ulanhot and from Hohhot to Xilinhot, which connect the regional capital with distant cities in the vast region.

Developed by the COMAC, the ARJ21 is designed to contain 78 to 90 seats and has a flight range of 3,700 km. It is capable of flying in alpine and plateau regions and can adapt to various airport conditions.

The first ARJ21 airplane was delivered to Chengdu Airlines in 2015. It conducted its first commercial flight on June 28, 2016.

To date, Chengdu Airlines has used the ARJ21 airplanes to fly more than 20 air routes, which have connected more than 20 cities and served more than 400,000 passengers.

The China-developed civil airplane model is already on its way to commercial operation at scale.

Genghis Khan Airlines and Chengdu Airlines have signed a cooperation framework agreement to facilitate the ARJ21 aircraft model entering commercial operation at scale, according to the COMAC.

The cooperation includes the air transport market expansion, operation support, operation information sharing, tourism business and financial investment.

The training of aircrew, maintenance personnel and other professionals to support the ARJ21's commercial operation are underway.

China has seen a strengthening civil aviation industry thanks to continuous growth in a range of aspects, such as fleet size and total transport turnover.

As of June, China had a total of 3,722 civil aircraft, said the latest statistics released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Persisting in the customer-centered and market-oriented guidelines, the COMAC is endeavoring to sustain the growth of the civil aviation industry with safe, economical and environmental-friendly airplanes, the airplane maker said.

It is also collaborating closely with airliners to collect market feedback, enhance after-sale service and optimize model development.

All these efforts will contribute to the commercial path of China-developed civil airplanes, the COMAC said.

China is now the world's second-largest civil aviation market. The International Air Transport Association forecast that China is expected to become the world's largest by the mid-2020s.