After a delivery flight from Hamburg, Germany, the vessel landed smoothly yesterday at Xiaoshan International Airport in East China's Zhejiang Province.

The A319, powered by V2500 engines from International Aero Engines, will offer a two-cabin layout, seating eight passengers in business class and 120 in economy class.

It is also the first airplane delivered to China after the outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

"The A319 is an ideal aircraft for our short and medium-haul operation in the economically prosperous region of East China," said Sun Yude, vice-president of Air China and president of Air China Zhejiang Subsidiary.

"We will also benefit from the A319's similarity with other members of the Airbus family, which will help us reduce training and maintenance costs. The aircraft also offers more comfort to passengers with wider seats, aisles and overhead storage."

The A319 will mainly be operated in high-density routes linking Hangzhou and Wenzhou cities with southern cities like Xiamen, Guangzhou, central and western cities like Chengdu, Chongqing, and northern cities such as Beijing and Qingdao.

Air China also has seven other A319s on order, with one to be delivered in both August and September, three in 2004 and the rest in 2005.

(China Daily July 17, 2003)