(Yicai) Jan. 25 -- Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China plans to boost the production capacity of the C919, the nation's first large passenger jet, The Paper reported, citing Deputy General Manager Zhang Yujin.

The state-owned aircraft maker will invest tens of billions of yuan over the next three to five years to boost its capacity to make the C919, the report said yesterday.

Developed by Shanghai-based Comac, the single-aisle narrow-body plane fits up to 168 seats and has a cruising range of 4,075 kilometers to 5,555 km. 

Last May, the first C919 delivered to China Eastern Airlines completed its debut commercial flight, and the aircraft now flies regularly between Shanghai and Chengdu and Shanghai and Beijing. Comac has delivered four of the aircraft to China Eastern.

As of Dec. 31, China Eastern had completed more than 1,900 hours of commercial flying time using its C919 fleet, transporting nearly 82,000 people, according to the carrier’s own data.

Editor: Emmi Laine