Chinese bird flies to Austria
At the Airpower air show which will take place tomorrow and the day after, 2 and 3 September 2022, in Zeltweg, Austria, the Chinese military transport aircraft Xian Y-20 "Kunpeng" (named after a large bird from Chinese mythology) will be seen up close for the first time in Europe, the organisers said.
The official maiden flight of the shoulder-wing aircraft with four engines, developed by Xi'an Aircraft primarily for the China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), took place on 26 January 2013. It was presented to the general public for the first time at the Zhuhai Air Show in 2014.
The first batch was ceremonially handed over to the PLAAF in Chengdu in July 2016. On 9 April 2022, six Y-20s, which have a maximum payload of 55 t, made their first landing in Europe, at Belgrade Airport. (ah)