Kunpeng Airlines, a venture between Shenzhen Airlines Ltd. and U.S.-based Mesa Air Group Inc., has begun operating in China’s Northwest Shaanxi Province.

The new airline is the first such venture by a U.S. carrier in the growing Chinese market, and hopes to expand rapidly before next year’s Beijing Olympic Games.

The airline gives Mesa a foothold in one of the world’s fastest growing economies at a time when expansion for regional carriers in the United States is slowing.

Kunpeng Airlines, in which the Shenzhen partner has a controlling stake, has three 50-seat Bombardier CRJ-200 jets, said Xinhua. The airline plans to expand its fleet to six aircraft by the year-end and to 20 before next August’s Olympics.

Mesa flies regional routes for several U.S. carriers, including U.S. Airways Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. It also runs an inter-island service in Hawaii.

Shenzhen Airlines, with a fleet of 45 aircraft, flies 100 routes in China and Southeast Asia.