China’s COMAC aims to lift C919 jet production capacity to 50 this year, report says

BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) – Chinese planemaker COMAC plans to raise production capacity for its homegrown C919 single-aisle planes to 50 this year, a COMAC executive told a media outlet supported by the Shanghai government.

COMAC Deputy General Manager Shen Bo also said the Shanghai-based state-owned firm aims to manufacture 30 C919 aircraft this year, in an interview with The Paper published on Saturday.

COMAC is seeking to compete internationally with leading Western planemakers Airbus and Boeing (NYSE:), which produce dozens of their single-aisle A320neo family and 737 MAX jets per month.

Scaling up production and obtaining certification from foreign aviation regulators are key to the Chinese planemaker’s growth strategy.

The C919 entered commercial service in 2023 and around 16 of the planes are currently in operation with Chinese airlines, flying within the mainland and since this month to Hong Kong.

Aviation consultancy Cirium said it expects another 27 C919 jets to be delivered this year.

China’s three leading state-owned airlines, Air China (OTC:), China Eastern Airlines (OTC:), and China Southern Airlines, are expected to operate a fleet of at least 100 C919s each by 2031, according to their announced orders.

In 2023, a COMAC official said the company had a target of achieving an annual production capacity of 150 C919 aircraft within the following five years.

In addition to the C919, COMAC is also developing a larger C929 wide-body jet.

Shen said the C929 was in the preliminary design and supplier selection phase, with plans to move to the detailed design stage soon.

Air China will be the first customer for the C929, COMAC said in November.