Comac will open a second assembly line for its ARJ21 regional jet this year, as it prepares to ramp up production of the type.
The Chinese manufacturer is targeting to produce 22 regional jets to customers this year, up from 15 in 2018, Wang Xingwei, director of the ARJ21 programme office tells FlightGlobal. In 2017, it built six aircraft.
This year, besides launch customer Chengdu Airlines, it will also deliver the regional jet to two more customers - Genghis Khan Airlines and Urumqi Airlines.
The new assembly line will be located at the Comac final assembly centre near Shanghai’s Pudong International airport.This is also where assembly of its in-development C919 narrowbody is ongoing, and where assembly of the Sino-Russian CRAIC CR929 widebody will take place.
The ARJ21 regional jet is currently assembled at the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing facility in Changzhong Road.
Yuan Wenfang, general manager of production and operations support, says that the Changzhong facility can only accommodate six aircraft at any one point due to its limited space, and has an annual maximum capacity of producing 15 jets.
The new assembly line at the Pudong facility will have the capacity to assemble 30 aircraft a year. The manufacturer is also prepared to open a second line there should there be a requirement to further raise production rates.
Comac is targeting to deliver 30 ARJ21s next year, and for delivery to stabilise at that level annually thereafter.
The manufacturer has so far garnered 528 commitments for the type from 24 customers.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
