Okay Airways, China's first private air carrier, is seeking permission from the Civil Aviation Administration to fly the Beijing-Shanghai route, Beijing Business Today reported Friday.

Two other private airlines, Spring Airlines and Juneyao Airlines, have already received approval from the aviation authority to launch flights in the lucrative domestic business route in September, with Spring Airlines being the first.

Previously, domestic flight between Beijing and Shanghai was dominated by state-owned airlines, such as Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines.

China's business press carried the story above on Friday.