China's AS700 manned airship makes first trans-provincial ferry flight

BEIJING -- China's independently-developed AS700 civil manned airship on Wednesday completed its first trans-provincial ferry flight, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

The airship flew over around 1,000 kilometers during the trans-provincial ferry flight, making the longest flight endurance and range of Chinese homegrown manned airship, said the AVIC, the country's leading aircraft manufacturer.

The AS700 took off on Tuesday morning at an airport in Jingmen, central China's Hubei Province. It flew over the neighboring Hunan Province with two stopovers at local airports and at noon on Wendnesday, it safely arrived in Guilin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, according to the AVIC.

During the trans-provincial ferry flight journey, its total flight hour lasted 12 hours and 44 minutes, with a flight height of 500 to 1,990 meters and the speed of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour.

Developed by AVIC Special Vehicle Research Institute, AS700 is a type of single-capsule manned airship, which has a maximum capacity carrying 10 people, including a pilot. It has a maximum take-off weight of 4,150 kg, a maximum flight range of 700 km, and a maximum endurance of 10 hours, according to the AVIC.