A C919 jetliner flies at the 2022 Nanchang Flight Convention in east China's Jiangxi Province, November 26, 2022. /CFP
Over 1,200 C919 jetliners have been ordered, a senior manager of the plane's manufacturer said on Thursday.
"The first order is from China Eastern Airlines," said Zhang Yujin, vice president of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). "Many other airlines are placing orders."
Zhang said the company plans to build 150 C919 planes every year for the next five years.
The C919 is China's first domestically-built large passenger aircraft. The first C919 was delivered to China Eastern Airlines in late 2022, and it will go through 100 hours of verification flights before entering commercial operations.
Shanghai-based COMAC will try to accelerate C919 production speed, Zhang said, adding that China's large passenger plane industry is shifting its focus from research to industrialization.
Read more: China's first C919 on 100-hour verification flight to ensure safety