Chinese aircraft manufacturer COMAC is planning a 50% boost in its production capacity for the C919 aircraft.
The South China Morning Post reported that COMAC will increase production capacity to 75 planes, up from the 50 it previously announced in January.
The media outlet stated that COMAC’s WeChat account reported that company president Shen Bo told the 229 domestic and international suppliers at the conference that the C919 programme had “entered a new phase of large-scale industrialisation”.
At the conference, information on market expansion, aircraft program progress, production and delivery, and purchase & supply chain management relating to COMAC was also released. COMAC also stated that annual procurement costs for its C919 programme have surged 70% on the year prior, which would take this year’s figure to $4.7bn.
The manufacturer will also aim to increase production capacity to 200 narrowbody jets a year by 2029, according to information shared with suppliers.
The C919, which has been in commercial service since May 2023, is challenging the position of the two market-leading narrowbody aircraft, the 737 and A320. In January, China Eastern Airlines operated the first commercial flight of the C919 aircraft outside of Mainland China. The flight operated by the Shanghai based airline arrived in Hong Kong from Shanghai.
COMAC had delivered 16 C919s to buyers by the end of last year.