China's C919 narrowbody jet receives regulatory nod for mass production

Jefferies analysts said last month that they expected COMAC to reach production of around 25 C919s per year by 2030, well behind the current monthly rates of narrowbody production at Airbus and Boeing. Although the C919 is assembled in China, it relies heavily on Western components, including engines and avionics, from companies including GE, Safran and Honeywell International.

China's aviation regulator has issued a production certificate allowing for the mass production of the homegrown C919 narrowbody jet, manufacturer Commercial Aviation Corp of China (COMAC) said on Tuesday.

The C919, a rival to the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle jet families, had received a type certificate in September declaring the model safe to fly but each individual jet manufactured had needed a separate sign-off from the regulator upon production. The C919's regional jet predecessor, the ARJ21, faced a 2.5-year gap between obtaining the type certificate and the production certificate, slowing production. That contrasts with the West, where both certificates are typically granted around the same time.

Maiden customer China Eastern Airlines is due to take delivery of its first C919 next month and is expected to operate passenger flights with the type from the first half of next year. Jefferies analysts said last month that they expected COMAC to reach production of around 25 C919s per year by 2030, well behind the current monthly rates of narrowbody production at Airbus and Boeing.

Although the C919 is assembled in China, it relies heavily on Western components, including engines and avionics, from companies including GE, Safran and Honeywell International. Tough U.S. export licensing rules have led to delays in sourcing parts and remain a key risk to ramped up production until China replaces foreign engines and components with homegrown technology.