Two China-made MA60 aircraft were officially handed over to Zimbabwe on Saturday in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, showing the plane has successfully entered the international market.

The MA60 is a new turbo-propeller passenger plane, designed and manufactured by Xi'an Aircraft Industry Group (XAIC) in accordance with international standards.

Using advanced technology, levels of safety, economy and comfort reach, or nearly reach, standards attained by planes made by foreign companies, according to Gao Dacheng, president of the firm.

"However, the price of the MA60 is much lower than similar planes made by other countries and its running costs are 10 to 20 per cent lower than those of foreign-made planes. So it is very competitive in the international market," Gao said.

Last November, China No 1 Aviation Industry Company signed a contract with Zimbabwe's Communication Ministry to supply it with two MA60 planes, the first export contract for the Chinese passenger plane, according to Liu Gaozhuo, the Chinese firm's general manager.

Besides Zimbabwe, Fiji has signed a lease contract for the MA60, and Eritrea also wants to buy the planes, the general manager said.

According to the company's market developing plan, 50 MA60 planes will be exported by 2007 and 100 are expected to be sold overseas by 2010, Liu said.

The firm started to design and manufacture the MA60 in 2000. With 60 seats and weighing 21,800 kilogrammes, the plane can travel 1,600 kilometres, according to Gao Dacheng.

XAIC is China's largest aircraft research and production firm as well as the production base of large- and medium-sized military and civilian planes, Gao said.

The company started its global operations in 1989 when it specialized in the production of spare parts for foreign aircraft manufacturers, including Boeing and Airbus.

In 1995, the company signed a contract with Boeing to produce 1,500 vertical rear fins for the Boeing 737-700 planes. And by 2001, the company had delivered some 4,000 assorted parts to Boeing and other foreign aircraft manufacturers, Gao said.