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China’s C919 jet maker says annual production will reach 150 in 5 years, as total orders top 1,200
- First domestically made passenger jet will be fast-tracked to grab market share, vows Commercial Aviation Corporation of China
- But deliveries of the C919 could be affected by Western restrictions on China’s access to foreign technology
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The designer of China’s first home-grown narrow-body passenger jet anticipates reaching an annual manufacturing capacity of 150 aircraft within five years, and it is also accelerating the development of the widebody CR929.
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The C919 was certified to fly by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in September after 14 years in development, with the first aircraft delivered to China Eastern Airlines in December.
The Shanghai-based airline ordered four of the aircraft in May at a cost of US$99 million each, with Comac saying it would deliver the rest of the orders within the following two years.
The state-owned aerospace manufacturer confirmed at the Zhuhai air show in November that it had secured orders from seven leasing firms for 300 of the planes, which are designed to carry 158 to 192 passengers.
“The first orders are from China Eastern Airlines, and at present, a number of carriers are vying for our planes,” said Zhang Yujin, deputy general manager of the plane’s maker, the state-owned Commercial Aviation Corporation of China (Comac), in an interview with Shanghai-based media outlet Paper.cn on Thursday.
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