Indonesia's State-run air operator Merpati Nusantara Airlines said Friday the first two passenger planes it bought from China would be delivered later this month.

"The planes will leave from China August 28," Merpati spokesman Widodo Aryanto told leading news website Detikcom.

Merpati bought 15 Xinzhou-60s from the China Aviation Industry Corporation I in Shaanxi to serve domestic routes in the sprawling archipelago.

The turboprop-powered Xinzhou-60 passenger plane has 60 passenger seats and a cruise range of 1,600 km.

Widodo said 13 other planes were expected to arrive in stages within the next few years.