Two Xinzhou-60 passenger planes will enter service in Indonesia's state-run air carrier Merpati Nusantara Airlines next week to become the first Chinese-made planes in commercial flights for a local company.

Merpati plans to operate the Xinzhou-60s for short-distance routes in eastern Indonesia, leading economic daily Bisnis Indonesia reported Friday.

The turboprop-powered planes, each has 60 passenger seats, will fly between Bali and the neighboring provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara.

"The planes will arrive next week and we will use them for short-distance routes," Merpati president Hotasi Nababan was quoted as saying.

The company has agreed to buy 15 Xinzhou-60s from the China Aviation Industry Corporation I in Shaanxi.