Economy

China delivers first upgraded passenger aircraft

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-12-17 17:17

XI'AN - China's first new-generation homegrown short haul passenger aircraft, Xinzhou-600, was delivered Friday to China Civil Aviation College in Guanghan city of Southwest China's Sichuan province.

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The Xinzhou-600, developed by Xi'an Aircraft International Corporation (XAIC) of the China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC), had its first trial flight in October 2008 in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province, said the AVIC.

The turboprop aircraft was an upgraded version of the Xinzhou-60 that can carry 50 to 60 passengers. The Xinzhou-600 had been updated with a more comfortable cabin and better designed body structure, said Jiang Jianjun, general manager of XAIC.

The Xinzhou-600 was designed for a maximum 2,450-kilometers flying distance, and was capable of inter-island flights, Jiang said.

The company so far has received more than 10 orders for the Xinzhou-600, Jiang said, disclosing that two orders had been placed by the Laos government.