"We are endeavoring to get the airworthiness certification from the civil aviation authorities by 2021, and deliver it to the customers by 2022," AVIC Chief Designer Huang Lingcai said late on Sunday, as quoted by the Xinhua news agency.
The manufacturer plans to carry out a ferry flight of AG600 from its research base in city of Zhuhai, located near Macau, to city of Jingmen in central Hubei province, according to the executive.
“Then, it will prepare for its first takeoff from water, scheduled for later this year," Huang added.
AVIC finished manufacturing of the aircraft in July 2016 in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. The plane has four turboprop engines and has a maximum range of some 2,800 miles. In December, the aircraft successfully completed its maiden flight.