ZHENGZHOU — A chartered plane carrying metric tons of California cherries arrived Monday evening in Zhengzhou, capital of the central province of Henan.

This is China's first chartered air freight delivery of imported fruit this year.

It took the plane 32 hours to carry its cargo of 88 tons of cherries from the United States, to the transportation hub of Zhengzhou.

Officials with the Henan Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said the department had provided swift customs clearance on the fresh imports, which will be distributed from Zhengzhou to Shanghai and Beijing.

Industry forecasts suggest that Zhengzhou will import around 10,000 tons of fruit in 2017, making the city the largest distribution center for air freighted imported fruit in the country.

The airport in Zhengzhou posted 275,000 tons of throughput of cargo in 2016, up 20.9 percent year-on-year. This included imported fruit, aquatic products and meat.