China’s C919 preps for busy 2025 as manufacturer makes expansion plans

With an extensive backlog of orders, China’s premier planemaker is boosting its production capacity to rev up output for the new year

Reading Time:2 minutes

China’s premier aerospace manufacturer is gearing up for a busy 2025 as its purchase order backlog grows. Photo: Frank Chen

Published: 9:00pm, 30 Dec 2024Updated: 10:03pm, 3 Jan 2025

After a banner year, China’s leading aircraft manufacturer is set to ring in an even busier 2025 as it scales up production to fulfil a bevy of orders for its home-grown planes – particularly the C919 narrowbody jet.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) is planning a series of expansions for the new year, previewing new projects on Saturday to boost factory output in its home base of Shanghai.

In a statement, the manufacturer said it will intensify cooperation with industrial chain partners in the coming year.

Though details were scarce, Comac said it will augment its capacity by building next to its existing facilities in China’s financial centre – a necessary move as the company’s backlog of invoices grows and turbulence on the horizon for global supply chains in the coming year.

“To build more planes, it first needs more production lines in Shanghai,” said a source with Comac subsidiary Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing.

In October, Comac renewed deals with Shanghai officials intended to put the Chinese city on a par with Everett in the United States and Toulouse in France – enormous production hubs for aerospace manufacturers Boeing and Airbus, respectively.