China's homegrown AS700 manned airship to kick off commercial operation

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By Qiu Chaoyi, People's Daily

After soaring over several scenic spots, the sleek and white airship smoothly landed, marking the successful conclusion of its trial flight.

Recently, the Special Vehicle Research Institute under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the developer of the airship, delivered the airship to Guangxi Guilin Ark General Aviation Co., Ltd. It also inked purchase agreements with the latter and a tourism company for a total of 12 units of the AS700.

This marked the independently-developed Chinese AS700 manned airship achieving the key phases of development, airworthiness certification and delivery, paving the way for its commercial operations.

The AS700 airship is first manned airship independently developed by the AVIC in compliance with the airworthiness regulations of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, with completely independent intellectual property rights.

The first delivered unit of this airship flew from Jingmen, central China's Hubei province to Guilin in August this year, setting a new long-distance flight record for China's homegrown manned airships.

The airship also conducted a 15-day trial flight, carrying 306 passengers in total, which verified its safety and reliability, and collected valuable data for future improvements in passenger comfort.

The AS700 airship features a maximum range of 700 kilometers, a flight endurance of 10 hours, a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour, and a maximum altitude of 3,100 meters. It can carry up to 10 people, including one pilot.

The airship achieved three major "firsts." It is the first airship whose main materials are Chinese independently produced, which helps enhance the supply chain for manned airships; it is the first to introduce an innovative lightweight, cost-efficient envelope design, boosting its market competitiveness; it is the first to adopt a thrust-vectored system, which improves the airship's adaptability to various takeoff and landing conditions.

In the future, the AS700 manned airship will primarily serve the low-altitude tourism sector. Its unique thrust-vectored system allows for short and vertical takeoff and landing on simple terrains, increasing its operational flexibility. The spacious cabin, with large panoramic windows on both sides, offers passengers an immersive sightseeing experience.

An executive of the Special Vehicle Research Institute of the AVIC noted that the AS700's development team will take low-altitude tourism as a key demonstration scenario. Through trial operations with early customers, the team aims to make all aspects of the commercial operations more efficient. Additionally, it plans to explore new applications in areas such as urban security, aerial surveying, and emergency rescue, to further expand the business forms of the low-altitude economy.