China-Based Manufacturer Aims to Bring Capacity Up To 50 Jets in 2025

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) recently shared plans to bump its C919 jet production capacity up to 50 in 2025. This would help put the jetliner on course to compete with some of the world’s best-selling aircraft.

The commercial aircraft field is almost exclusively made up of two manufacturers: Boeing and Airbus. Their designs, specifically the B737 and A320 families, have long been known as the best-selling airliners in the world. With Boeing being based in the US and Airbus in Europe, however, China decided it was time to take a stab at the industry by producing its very first homegrown jetliner.

COMAC, which is a Shanghai-based state-owned manufacturer, debuted its C919 jet with China Eastern Airlines in May 2023. It took in more than 1,000 orders for the narrow-body, twin-engine aircraft, quickly establishing itself as a potential game changer in the airline industry. Around 16 of the jets are currently in service with Chinese airlines.

Despite its positive reputation, the C919 has plenty of work to do before it can become an international favorite. It was type-certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in September 2022 but still lacks approval from the American FAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

As part of its growth strategy, COMAC is now planning to raise its C919 production capacity. “COMAC anticipates it will dispatch 30 units of the C919 this year with a production capacity scale of up to 50 units,” stated company Vice President Shen Bo.

Scaling up its capacity to 50 C919s would be a significant improvement to COMAC’s current rates. The manufacturer aimed to roll out 30 aircraft in 2024, 54 in 2025, and 126 by 2028. As a result of several delays, the planemaker was only able to roll out 16 jetliners over the last two years.

This upgrade isn’t all COMAC has in store for 2025. The company is working on developing two new widebody designs, dubbed the C929 and C939, to make it more competitive against the duopoly. Air China has committed to being the C929’s first customer.

FMI: www.comac.cc