The seemingly futuristic concept of "airtaxis" transporting people across cities came closer to reality on Thursday when an unmanned electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft successfully completed a flight across a stretch of the Yangtze River in east China's Nanjing.
The 25-kilometer test flight lasted around 10 minutes and marked the first time an eVTOL aircraft heavier than one ton has flown across the Yangtze River, China's longest waterway.
The sleek-looking eVTOL aircraft boasts a wingspan of 15 meters, a fuselage length of 11 meters, and a height of around 3.5 meters. Capable of accommodating up to five passengers, it has a maximum carrying capacity of nearly 500 kilograms.
It has been developed by a Shanghai-based start-up named AutoFlight, who say that their design could come become a viable and affordable transportation option for tourists or for commuters looking to beat the city traffic.
"We can offer sightseeing experiences along the Yangtze River and provide air transportation. This would take only one-fifth or even one-tenth of the time that ground transportation takes, and the ticket may be less than six yuan (less than a dollar) after its large-scale application in the future," said Xie Jia, senior vice president of AutoFlight.
China has identified development of the so-called "low-altitude economy" as a key task for fostering new growth in 2024. The city of Nanjing has been at the forefront of this push, and opened up a civil unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) test zone back in 2020, with over 24,000 test flights taking place there by the end of last year.
Officials say Thursday's successful trial will give another boost to the fast-developing industry as it continually aspires to hit new heights.
"This marks a solid step forward for Nanjing City in exploring the low-altitude economy, and a bold rehearsal for the future transportation mode of our city. It is of great significance for expanding low altitude tourism, urban commuting, emergency rescue, logistics distribution and other scenarios in the future," said Shi Shan, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Pukou Hi-Tech Zone in Nanjing
China's eVTOL industry grew by 77.3 percent last year to hit 980 million yuan (over 135 million dollars), while its market scale is expected to soar to a staggering 9.5 billion yuan (over 1.3 billion U.S. dollars) by 2026, according to a report released by market research firm CCID Consulting.
'Airtaxi' concept closer to reality as eVTOL aircraft completes test flight across Yangtze River
'Airtaxi' concept closer to reality as eVTOL aircraft completes test flight across Yangtze River
