The AS700 civil manned airship. /AVIC

China's independently developed civil manned airship AS700 successfully completed its first ferry flight in central China's Hubei Province on Saturday, according to its developer, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's leading aircraft manufacturer.

The airship took off from Jingmen City at 7:04 a.m. Beijing Time and landed smoothly at Jingzhou City after a flight of 106 minutes. It returned to Jingmen after a brief stay, completing its first ferry flight.

Adopting a single-capsule design with a single-point landing gear, the AS700 airship is expected to meet demand in air touring, emergency rescue, and urban services. 

It has a maximum takeoff weight of 4,150 kilograms, a maximum flight range of 700 kilometers and a maximum endurance of 10 hours. It can carry up to 10 people, including one pilot, at a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour.