185 orders signed for MA-700 aircraft

China's national aircraft manufacturer has received orders for 185 MA-700s from 11 domestic and foreign buyers.

At a ceremony in Xi'an on Tuesday, executives from Aviation Industry Corp of China signed contracts on the sales with six Chinese buyers, including Joy Air and Poly Technologies, and five foreign companies, including a Nepalese airline and South Africa's Segers Aero.

"We plan to use the MA-700 series to take at least one-third of the global market for turboprop airliners within 10 years of deliveries starting," said Dong Jianhong, chief designer of the airliner.