China opened its first maritime freight route for ton-class electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft on Monday in east China's Cangnan County, Zhejiang Province.
This marks a breakthrough in China’s maritime energy transport and a major step toward expanding real-world applications in its low-altitude economy.
The launch of the maritime freight route was marked by an eVTOL aircraft departing from Cangnan and flying to an offshore substation topside 26 nautical miles away, cruising at about 180 kilometers per hour. The round trip was about 91 kilometers, and was completed in just 35 minutes.
"Flying over the sea actually places specific demands on aircraft, including wind resistance, as well as the ability to withstand high temperatures and corrosion in the unique marine environment. It took only about 18 to 20 minutes for the eVTOL aircraft to transport wind farm components, a tenfold increase in transport efficiency compared with shipping," said Sun Ming, vice president at AutoFlight.
With the freight route now open, island life is set to become more connected, as officials push to expand practical use cases in the region’s low-altitude economy.
"Currently, we are working to promote implementation in scenarios like transporting wind farm components and island logistics and our following effort will focus on further expanding implementation in scenarios like island parcel delivery, maritime patrols, and fresh food transport to meet civilian needs," said Li Chuan, head of the low-altitude economy task force of Cangnan County.
China opens first maritime freight route for ton-class eVTOL aircraft
