Mesa Air Group Inc. and China's Shenzhen Airlines Co. are due to receive a license to begin operating a new domestic regional carrier in northwestern China, China's aviation authority says.

A statement seen Aug. 28 on the Web site of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, or CAAC, said the authority has finished reviewing the license application and is gathering final opinions before issuing it.

The new carrier, Kun Peng Airlines Co., will be China's first joint venture domestic passenger airline. Based in the north-central city of Xi'an, it will be allowed to operate passenger and charter services and air cargo flights, the statement said.

Kun Peng is 51 percent owned by Shenzhen Airlines, with remaining shares held by two of Mesa's units, Ping Shan SRL and Shan Yue SRL, CAAC said.

Earlier, the airlines announced that Kun Peng will fly to 11 Chinese cities with 50-seat regional jets. The airline is due to begin services Sept. 16.

Chinese government rules limit foreign investors to holding a minority stake in companies in strategic industries such as air travel.

Mesa, based in Phoenix, Arizona, operates 198 aircraft with more than 1,300 daily flights to 173 cities in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas. It operates under its own name and as America West Express, Delta Connection, US Airways Express and United Express.

Mesa will provide the new Chinese airline with pilot and maintenance support, aircraft sourcing and training, the companies said.

Shenzhen Airlines, headquartered in the southern Chinese business center of Shenzhen, operates 45 A320 and B737 aircraft on 100 routes in China and Southeast Asia.