A 5-seat eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft flies during a demonstration flight near Shekou Cruise Home port in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Feb. 27, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua)

AutoFlight, a domestic pioneer in electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), has conducted what it says the world's first inter-city electric air-taxi demonstration flight in South China's Guangdong Province.

The flight took place on Tuesday between Shenzhen and Zhuhai, which aims to promote activity in low-altitude airspace. The general aviation sector will play a dominant role in that effort, which will include eVTOL aircraft.

The flight took off from Shekou Cruise Home Port in Shenzhen and landed in Jiuzhou Port in neighboring Zhuhai. The straight-line distance between the two places is less than five kilometers, but traveling by car means taking a detour by way of the Nansha Bridge or Humen Bridge, which can take two to three hours.

The flight will provide a faster option for passengers shuttling between Shenzhen and Zhuhai, said AutoFlight. The aircraft is expected to cut the need for traditional airports and runways and shorten the inter-city trip to just 20 minutes.

The company said that the core modules are domestically produced. The craft is designed to carry five people at up to 200 kilometers per hour, and it can operate for up to 250 kilometers on a single charge. According to the company, it's the only aircraft in the world with that flight range.

It's applying for an airworthiness certificate and is expected to start regular passenger flights in 2026.

The successful maiden flight underscores China's rising competitiveness in terms of research and development in aviation. The aircraft may also be used for logistics and sightseeing, said market insiders.

Many companies around the world aim to produce and operate such aircraft, Wang Peng, an associate researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday. It will serve booming transportation demand in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Wang added. 

The fast development of the low-altitude economy in Shenzhen is backed by China's growing efforts in the field, including policy support. Chinese policymakers have attached great importance to the development of the low-altitude economy as a strategic emerging sector, experts said.

The estimated value of the nation's low-altitude economy surpassed 500 billion yuan ($70 billion) in 2023, which is expected to quadruple by 2030, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. There are 689 general aviation firms in China, with 3,173 general aviation aircraft and 451 general aviation airports.

By the end of 2023, there were more than 1,700 drone companies in Shenzhen, a global innovation hub, with an annual output value of 96 billion yuan.