AutoFlight, the eVTOL pioneer, has performed the first inter-city electric air-taxi demonstration flight between the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai.
AutoFlight’s five-seater Prosperity eVTOL aircraft completed a significant milestone by autonomously flying the 50 km (31 miles) route from Shenzhen to Zhuhai across the Pearl River Delta in just 20 minutes, a journey that would require three hours by car. This achievement marks the world’s first public flight of an eVTOL aircraft on a cross-sea and inter-city route, spanning across the bay where the Pearl River meets the sea, connecting the two southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. The demonstration flight was un-crewed and fully autonomous, with certification for crewed passenger flights anticipated within approximately two years.
This flight marks a significant milestone in the development and road to certification of this exciting new form of mobility. The route between Shenzhen and Zhuhai is part of the future air traffic scenario planned by the regional government as it develops its “low-altitude economy” strategy that will see the opening of thousands of vertiports and hundreds of eVTOL air routes across the Greater Bay Area in southern China. Low-altitude application scenarios will include passenger transport, tourism, logistics and emergency services. In the short term, plans are in development to achieve 300,000 cargo UAV flights in this region per year.
AutoFlight’s partner in the region Heli-Eastern, a major low-altitude general aviation carrier and helicopter service provider, recently entered an agreement with AutoFlight to purchase 100 Prosperity passenger eVTOL aircraft. The aircraft will be used on routes such as the one demonstrated by AutoFlight, from Shekou Ferry Port in Shenzhen to the Jiuzhou Ferry Port in Zhuhai, as well as from other transportation hubs in the region.
Referred to as air-taxis, these eVTOLs do not require traditional airports or runways. Similar to helicopters, they take-off vertically and transition into fixed-wing flight mode in the air, cruising at high speeds like traditional large aircraft. The aircraft delivers an electric-powered, safe, comfortable, sustainable and affordable performance at significantly lower noise levels than traditional aircraft.
