(Yicai Global) Sept. 20 -- China's first plane developed without state assistance, the Guanyi GA20, made its maiden flight yesterday in China's eastern province of Jiangxi, bringing the domestic aviation sector closer to the height of international standards.

The four-seater general purpose craft, made by Shanghai Guanyi General Aviation, left Nanchang Yaohu airport around 11.53 a.m., cruised at altitudes of around 1,000 feet and then landed at the same airfield at 12.19 a.m., state-backed news site The Paper reported.

The GA20 is on par with planes made by international companies thanks to its Chief Designer Jean-Paul Vaunois, a former head of design at Airbus. Despite the foreign leadership, most of the research and development team comprises local engineers and the firm hopes the new plane will make it more competitive in the global market.

Guanyi plans to build five more GA20s after conducting more tests, and also wants to develop a self-driving cargo drone and a twin-engine plane. The GA20 is a single-engine aircraft with a 9.4 meter wingspan and 8.1 meter body. It uses a carbon fiber composite propeller and can be used for flight training, personal flying and sightseeing.

The plane has a maximum cruising range of 1,200 kilometers and a cruising speed of up to 265 kilometers per hour. It also consumes less fuel than many of its foreign competitors, burning 32 liters an hour when running at 75 percent power and at an altitude of 2,600 meters.

Editor: James Boynton