China's first privately-developed aircraft reaches new milestone

The first aircraft in China developed by a private company, the Guanyi GA20, underwent a successful test flight to an altitude of 3,000 meters in Zhejiang Province on Wednesday, reports China News Service.

The first aircraft in China developed by a private company, the Guanyi GA20, during a test flight in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, on Wednesday, August 7, 2019. [Photo: IC]

This is the 50th test flight for the GA20, and the first time it has reached the 3,000 meter mark, a milestone in the maturity testing of the aircraft.

The GA20 has a maximum range of 1,200 kilometers, and can reach 265 kilometers an hour.

The good performance of the GA20 raises confidence in high tech and intelligent products made in China, said Zhu Songhua, the chairman of the Shanghai-based Guanyi General Aviation. He added that he hopes planes made in China demonstrate to the world China's strengths in core technology.

An order for 100 planes was made to Guanyi General Aviation by China's private flight platform, Wutong Airlines, on the day of the latest test flight.