Gallop Aira new private airline based in Brunei, plans to launch operations after taking delivery of its first Chinese plane C919 during the second half of 2024.
Gallop Air last month announced an order for 30 C919 regional aircraft from theChinese aircraft manufacturer COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China), for an amount of 2 billion dollars. It thus became the first non-Chinese airline to order the C919 and will be the launch airline of the Chinese single-aisle outside China.
Delivery of the 30 C919s will occur in stages over the next few years and will depend on the production schedule, regulatory approvals and the airline’s operational readiness, Gallop Air CEO Cham Chi told agency Reuters. While waiting for the arrival of the first C919, Gallop Air should take delivery of its first ARJ-21a regional aircraft also manufactured by COMAC, in the third quarter of 2024.
“Our priority is to get the ARJ-21 certified first, as our first phase of operations will be to operate the ARJ21Cham Chi added, its capacity and reach are well suited to our initial routes and the budget-conscious market segment we aim to serve“. His airline will operate its short-haul ARJ-21 flights and its medium-haul routes serving Southeast Asia, North Asia and the Southwest Pacific, in C919.
Gallop Air, established in January this year, is owned by Chinese businessman Yang Qiang, who is also chairman of China’s Shaanxi Tianju Group, through a Singapore-based entity. The Chinese connection played a role in Gallop Air’s choice to source planes from Chinese aircraft manufacturer COMAC, Cham Chi acknowledged. When it begins operations, Gallop Air will be the second airline based in Brunei, after the national carrier Royal Brunei Airlines.
