COMAC gets orders for 50 more C919s, executive says

State-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) said on November 12 it had taken orders for 50 more of the domestically made C919 passenger jets.

Shi Jianzhong, vice president of Comac, said before the start of Airshow China in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, that the company had received orders from two new clients, bringing its total to 380 planes ordered by 15 clients.

Shi said he would provide more information about the two new orders on November 13, the opening day of the air show.

Comac designed the C919 to rival other large commercial passenger aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. The short- and medium-range jet can carry 168 passengers and is assembled in Shanghai.

The single-aisle aircraft is still being designed. It is expected to make its first flight in 2014 and be delivered to clients in 2016.

In September, Comac signed a deal with CCB Financial Leasing Corp. Ltd., a company in Beijing, for 50 C919s, the largest single order for the plane. Other clients include Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines.