Urumqi Air, the first local carrier in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, will make its maiden flight on Friday from Urumqi to Yining in the autonomous region.

The carrier, which is expected to play a major role in the New Silk Road, got its operation certificate on Thursday. Urumqi Air, with three Boeing 737 aircraft, will fly four regional routes within Xinjiang and two routes to cities elsewhere in China.

Cen Jianjun, president of Urumqi Air, said the carrier was considering trunk routes between Urumqi and destinations like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, as well as international flights.