Xinjiang establishes first airline

China's aviation administration issued an operation license to Urumqi Air on Thursday, marking the establishment of the first airline based in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Funded by Hainan Airlines and Urumqi City Construction Investment Co., Ltd., Urumqi Air will see its first flight take off on Friday. It will first focus on air routes in Xinjiang with the goal of extending to markets in Central and West Asia and Europe, according to the Xinjiang branch of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Xinjiang's booming aviation market and favorable location have made it a new front for many domestic and foreign airlines. Forty-nine airlines have operated flights in the region.