The first Boeing 747-400 aircraft ordered by China Cargo Airlines Ltd. landed here Sunday from Seattle after 11.5 flying hours.

China Cargo Airlines Ltd., the biggest air cargo company in the country, planned for a big capacity expansion in order to take part in the world competition, experts said.

The B747-400 aircraft is the world's most advanced cargo plane, with the longest cruise distance of 8,000 nautical miles.

According to Boeing's prediction, the Chinese company will grow by 10.6 percent annually in the next 20 years, higher than world's average rate of 6.2 percent.

The company was established in 2003, with the registered capital reaching 2.2 billion yuan (0.3 billion U.S. dollars) and total assets accounting 4 billion yuan, ranking the 20th among the world's cargo companies in 2004.

Source: Xinhua