Chinese-made aircraft played an important role in the earthquake relief work in Nepal during the past month, an aviation industry executive said.

"Our planes were the first regional airliners to resume operation and support the relief work, largely facilitating Nepal's effort to restore air transport," said Zhang Guangjian, executive vice-president of AVIC International Holding Corp. "The excellent capability of our aircraft and our technicians' performance have been highly recognized by leaders of Nepal Airlines.

"The day after the earthquake struck, the MA-60 and Y-12 began to resume flights to help relocate people and take stranded tourists to safe areas," he said.