AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry (Group) Co., maker of Modern Ark 60 (MA60) passenger planes, confirmed on May 24, that it had signed a contract to sell four MA60s to a Peruvian airline express company.

The MA60, which was introduced in the year 2000, is China's only domestically-developed regional passenger aircraft in service. Its success at home and in the international market has greatly enhanced the company's reputation, said an official with the company.

MA60 aircraft have been delivered to fourteen countries in Asia, Africa and South America and are in use on more than 100 routes, according to company statistics.

An MA60 passenger plane, which was en route from the city of Sorong to the town of Kaimana in Indonesia's West Papua, crashed into the sea at approximately 1 p.m. local time on May 7, killing all 25 passengers and crew. A preliminary investigation suggested that the cause of the crash was due to pilot error. It was the first fatal accident for an MA60.