A college in East China’s Jiangsu Province’s recent purchase of an Airbus 320 jet airliner at a price over 12 million yuan ($1.8 million) has triggered widespread online debate, as some questioned whether or not the million-dollar purchase was necessary.

The Jiangsu College of Engineering and Technology (JCET) received their A320 at Xingdong Airport in Nantong, Jiangsu on May 14, as the college – which opened an aviation department in 2013 – pledged to build an aviation training base in Nantong that would offer theory education, skill training as well as product research and development, China Youth Daily reported Monday.

However, doubts followed as many netizens questioned if the extravagant purchase could effectively serve for the training, or if the money has been well-spent and has fully and properly utilized.

“The plane could help meet the practical training demand for our aviation department. Why is it not acceptable?” Wang Yi, president of JCET, told the newspaper, adding that such kinds of million-dollar funds are common in other colleges.

Wang explained that most aviation majors have purchased Boeing 747s and few has used A320s. Hence the latest purchase could help seize the market.

The A320 is a main model in the East China fleet and there is so far no certified institutes offering specific training for the model, according to China Youth Daily.