China begins to mass produce regional jetliner ARJ21-700

SHANGHAI - A Chinese aircraft manufacturer has been certified to mass produce the country's home-grown regional jetliner ARJ21-700.

The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) said it obtained the production license from the General Administration of Civil Aviation on Sunday.

The company plans to deliver five ARJ21-700 jetliners by the end of this year.

COMAC has received orders for 413 ARJ21-700 from 19 clients.

Its first aircraft, with 90 economy seats, was delivered to Chengdu Airlines in late 2015. It has so far transported 15,000 passengers, the company said.

China has in recent years sped up efforts to build its commercial aircraft. Besides ARJ21-700, COMAC has also made much larger jet C919, a narrow-body jumbo designed to rival Airbus' updated A320 and Boeing's new generation B737.

It has also set up a joint venture with a Russian state company to build wide-body passenger jets.