AG600 completes the first flight on the water

China's first large amphibious plane, the AG600, carried out its first water surface take-off and landing in Jingmen, Hubei Province on Saturday morning.

The seaplane took off from the Zhanghe Reservoir at 8.51 am and flew for about 15 minutes. After completing a set of tests, the plane landed smoothly on water at 9.05 am. It was piloted by four crew members.

Chinese President Xi Jinping later sent congratulatory messages on the success of the first on-water flight of the AG600, saying that it marked another significant achievement through independent innovation by China's aviation industry.

Developed and built by state-owned aircraft giant Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC), the plane is 36.9 metres long and has a wingspan of 38.8 metres, roughly the size of a Boeing 737. Powered by four domestically designed WJ-6 turboprop engines, it has a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes.

Leng Yixun, a senior project manager in charge of the AG600, said on Saturday after the water test that AVIC is poised to speed up the aircraft's flight tests and plans to deliver it to users as soon as possible.

The aircraft made its maiden flight from Zhuhai Airport in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong on December 24, 2017. It should be certificated in 2021, with deliveries starting in 2022.

The plane will be used in disaster relief and fire control missions in the future.