Chinese air force planes depart for air show in Egypt

URUMQI -- Eight Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force planes on Monday departed from an airport in Northwest China for an air show in Egypt, scheduled from Sept 3 to 5.

The flight formation includes one Y-20, China's domestically developed large transport aircraft, and seven J-10 stealth fighter jets from the Bayi Aerobatic Team, according to the air force.

Xie Peng, a spokesperson for the air force, said that this will be the Bayi Aerobatic Team's first performance in an African country and their farthest overseas flight to date.

The formation will fly over pyramids while in Egypt, with the Y-20 aircraft set to make its debut performance abroad, Xie noted.

According to military experts, the flight will span nearly 10,000 km with transfers and cross multiple time zones amid rapidly changing temperatures, posing "extremely high" challenges for the pilots.

The aircrew have, therefore, streamlined the accompanying supplies and designed a specific set of maneuvers for the Y-20's maiden show, pilot Yuan Bo said.