(Yicai) June 7 -- The maiden commercial flight of the Chinese-made ARJ21 plane has kicked off a regular cargo service from China to Uzbekistan.

The flight, operated by Hangzhou-based YTO Cargo Airlines, flew from Yining Airport in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to Tashkent International Airport yesterday.

The plane carried e-commerce goods, including consumer electronics and accessories. It will bring local specialties from Central Asia back to China.

Made by state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, the ARJ21 is the country’s first domestically developed regional passenger plane. Its development began in the early 2000s with the aim of establishing China's presence in the regional jet market. As a cargo plane, it can carry as much as 10 tons and fly 2,778 kilometers.

YTO aims to achieve stable operation of the China-to-Uzbekistan cargo route flown by the ARJ21 as soon as possible and strive to replicate the model in other Central Asian countries, said Su Xiufeng, vice chairman of Shanghai YTO Jiaolong Investment Development Group, the parent company of YTO Cargo.

Today, Chengdu Airlines operated the first ARJ21 passenger flight from China to Central Asia, flying from Kashi Laining International Airport in Xinjiang to Khujand International Airport in Tajikistan.

Comac plans ARJ21 variations to expand its capabilities and market reach. These include for administrative affairs, fire control, medical and meteorological use, and as command aircraft in emergency rescues, the Shanghai-based firm’s top leadership has said.

Editor: Martin Kadiev