A flight certificate is granted to Northern Express Airlines in Ordos on Sept 22. [Photo/Ordos Release]

Northern Express Airlines, the first local aviation company in Ordos city – in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region – operated its maiden flight on Sept 22, according to a report in the Ordos Daily.

The airline was established on April 8, 2020 by the Ordos Airport Management Group and Jiangxi Aviation Investment Co.

It will use Ordos Ejin Horoo International Airport as its main operating base and operate Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. 

Aviation officials said it will carry out short-distance transportation, business travel, medical first aid and flight training.

The inaugural flight kicked off a route connecting the Ordos airport to Ordos city’s Otog Front Banner, with regular flights running every day.

Northern Express Airlines makes its maiden flight in Ordos airport on Sept 22. [Photo/Ordos Release]

Compared with the nearly four hours it takes to travel by road, the flight only takes 50 minutes and the air transport costs were competitive.

Moving forward, the Northern Express Airlines will aim to operate more than six routes in about three years, with a fleet of more than 10 aircraft.

It will also build an aviation network covering the whole Inner Mongolia autonomous region, extending Ordos airport’s function as a regional aviation hub.

Ordos is planning to build seven general airports. The airport in Otog Front Banner was competed and is now in use, while the others are due to be built during the 14th Five-Year Period (2020-25).