ARJ21 aircraft makes maiden overseas cargo voyage

With the arrival of a fully loaded YTO Airlines ARJ21 aircraft at Tashkent International Airport in Uzbekistan from Yining of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Thursday, the domestically made jet has made its maiden show in the civil aviation cargo market, according to the cargo airliner's parent company YTO Group.

"The operation of China's independently developed ARJ21 regional aircraft in international cargo flight will assist its manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, or COMAC to expand its influence," said Su Xiufeng, vice-chairman of YTO Group during the launch ceremony held at Yining Airport.

"We finally find a suitable business scenario and value for the jetliner model," Su said.

The ARJ21 cargo aircraft will fly between Yining and Tashkent on a regular basis, and it is expected to bring e-commerce products, consumer electronics and facilities to Central Asia, while taking local specialties back to China.

The ARJ21 aircraft is China's first regional jet in commercial operation. The project to convert the ARJ21 passenger aircraft into freighters was approved in May 2020, and YTO Airlines was among the first to receive ARJ21 cargo airplanes in October 2023.