In August, STAECO obtained approval to provide maintenance support for the new ARJ21 regional jet, developed in Mainland China. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) approval allows STAECO to perform 4000FH/4000FC/24M Checks as well as engine, landing gear and auxiliary power unit (APU) replacements on the CF34-10A-powered ARJ21-700 aircraft, and STAECO is the first independent aircraft maintenance organisation to obtain this certification.

Type-certified by CAAC in 2014, the ARJ21 regional jet is the first indigenous Chinese regional jet developed by The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC). With support from manufacturer COMAC and launch customer Chengdu Airlines, it took nine months of preparation for STAECO to satisfy CAAC requirements and pass a series of audits covering aspects such as certification of personnel, materials, technical information, tooling and facilities in order to obtain the approval.