Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has secured a production certificate (PC) from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to begin the mass manufacture of its ARJ21-700 regional aircraft.

The PC was preceded by the issuance of the type certificate (TC) and marks the transition from design and development to batch production of ARJ21-700 aircraft.

The certificates show COMAC's ability to establish a quality management system that meets the CAAC requirements of airworthiness regulations associated with aircraft production.

With the latest certification, COMAC will also achieve its goal of delivering five ARJ21 aircraft to its customers by the end of this year, reported Bloomberg.

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) equipment industry deputy director-general Yang Shuanchang said that since the inception of the ARJ21 programme in 2002, the company has explored and established a series of civil aircraft development systems, including the standard specification system, design assurance system, and production system.

Additional development systems include the customer service system; management systems for flight tests, suppliers, quality and airworthiness; as well as operation support systems that are suitable for China's actual conditions.

The ARJ21 programme has also helped in the development of China's civil aircraft industry and provided the basis for the development of follow-up civil aircraft such as the C919.

The aircraft is a single-aisle aircraft that can carry as many as 90 passengers. In November 2015, the first ARJ21-700 was delivered to Chengdu Airlines.

COMAC has so far won 413 orders from 19 customers worldwide for its ARJ21 jet.