The Harbin Aircraft Industry (Group) (HAIG), a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), signed a contract to supply 20 Y-12 aircraft to a U.S. airline at the ongoing 10th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai. This is the first time that China has exported a civilian plane to the U.S., which means that the Y-12 aircraft has won the approval of the most developed and strictest market in the world. It is also the first export of a China-built civil aircraft to a developed country, a milestone in the history of the Chinese civil aircraft industry.

The Y-12 light multi-purpose aircraft is currently the only Chinese domestic civilian aircraft approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is an essential condition to enter the U.S. market.

The Y-12 aircraft's strengths include flexibility, take-off and landing on rough runway, and multi-functions. The 20 aircraft will be used for sightseeing tours as well as short-haul passenger and cargo transport from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon.

HAIG has delivered about 200 Y-12 aircraft to customers at home and abroad, comprising about 70 to Chinese customers and about 130 to overseas customers. The Y-12 has become the biggest-selling Chinese-built civilian aircraft.