The first batch of ARJ21 passenger plane-turned freighters were delivered to their clients in Guangzhou City of south China's Guangdong Province on Monday, bringing China's indigenously developed commercial planes to a new stage.

The delivery is the latest move in China's efforts to change older passenger jets into cargo airplanes, known as the passenger-to-freighter conversion, so as to meet the country's growing market demand for freighters.

The two ARJ21 freighters delivered this time can carry goods up to 10 tons and fly up to 2,778 kilometers, mainly used for transporting cargo and mail on domestic routes and short-distance international routes.

The two freighters will be flying routes linking China's major cities such as Zhengzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as premium routes linking Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, providing customers with diversified aviation logistics supply chain services.

The ARJ21 passenger-to-freighter conversion project was launched in May 2020 and represents the first successful practice of converting passenger planes to commercial freighters in China.