Chinese airplane manufacturer Harbin Aircraft Industry Group has signed a deal to sell its Y12 planes to a U.S. airline, marking the first time China has exported civil aircraft to the U.S.

Harbin Aircraft, a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), has been contracted to deliver 20 of the high wing twin-engine turboprop planes, reports Xinhua. The unnamed airline will use the planes for sightseeing tours and cargo transport between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

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Based in northeast Chinese city of Harbin, the company supplies components to some of the world's largest aviation companies, including Boeing and Airbus.

The Y12 series aircraft is a light and general purpose aircraft, and can be used for both passenger and cargo transportation, as well as parachute jumping and sky diving.

HAIG has sold 130 units of its Y12 series aircraft to more than 20 countries and regions worldwide

In another aviation deal, Harbin's parent company AVIC has entered into a contract with Boeing to produce composite empennage tips for its 777 family of planes, reports Puget Sound Business Journal. The contract starts in 2017.

Another AVIC-owned unit, Shenyang Commercial Aircraft Corporation (SACC), will build tips for the vertical fine and horizontal stabilizer in a new facility near the airport in Shenyang, China.

The stabilizers are placed on the tail of the plane, and each 777 plane will need three of them. The contract means Boeing and SACC will work together to create a new training program and Chinese Manufacturing Innovation Center within the facility. 

TagsChina Signs First Ever Civil Aircraft Deal With U.S., Harbin Aircraft Industry Group, Y 12, Aviation Industry Corporation of China, HAIG, AVIC, 777, Shenyang Commercial Aircraft Corporation, SACC