China's AS700 sets record with marathon 12‑hour flight

The AS700 took off from the airport in Jingmen in Hubei province, flew over the neighbouring Hunan province (with two intermediate landings at local airports), and arrived in Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang region in southern China.

According to Chinese media, the AS700 now holds the record for the longest flight in the history of Chinese manned airships, both in terms of time spent in the air (the 10-hour barrier was broken) and distance travelled.

The total flight time was 12 hours and 44 minutes. During this time, the AS700 operated at altitudes ranging from 500 to 2,000 metres.

The AS700 is a passenger airship with a cabin designed to carry up to 10 people, including the pilot. It uses vector control technology, allowing it to take off and land even in hard-to-reach places.

According to AVIC, the maximum takeoff weight of this design is 4,150 kilograms. Its creators claim it can have multiple uses, from serving for air tours (the main task of the AS700) to emergency rescue operations to meteorological and geophysical research.

Completed tests bring the AS700 closer to being put into service. This is planned for the end of this year, preceded by the final phase of testing focused mainly on the cabin equipment rather than flight parameters. AVIC intends to produce a dozen or so such designs in total.

Information published by CNN in 2023 indicated that China made significant strides in the airship construction programme. Journalists cited a 2018 Rand Corporation report on China's modern warfare strategy, noting that such aircraft are attractive for the tourism sector and developing structures providing intelligence data.