Low-altitude industry readies for takeoff

An eVTOL aircraft attracts visitors during a demonstration flight in Shenzhen, Guangdong province in February. [WEN ZI/FOR CHINA DAILY]

The Civil Aviation Administration of China issued the production license for the EH216-S unmanned aerial vehicle system on Monday. This is the first production license obtained by the global electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft industry.

Mass production of eVTOL aircraft will soon be a reality, raising expectations for the development of China's low-altitude economy. Among several strategic emerging industries proposed by the Central Economic Work Conference last year was the low-altitude economy. The low-altitude economy was also mentioned in the Government Work Report at this year's two sessions.

China has tens of thousands of A-level tourist attractions, but it is difficult to train tens of thousands of pilots to take tourists there. The use of eVTOL can solve this problem. Besides, eVTOL also comes in handy for goods transport, during medical emergencies, police patrols, equipment inspection and firefighting.

In fact, taking an eVTOL might soon become as common as taking a taxi. In some sparsely populated cities in the western regions, where traffic conditions are relatively simple, eVTOL can be used for point-to-point operations. In the Pearl River Delta region, especially within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, eVTOL is suitable for cross-sea point-to-point operations.

With eVTOL, a person will be able to take off for work in the morning, landing in the office.

China still lags behind some developed countries in the field of general aviation. As of the end of 2022, China had a registered fleet of 3,177 general aircraft, while the US had approximately 220,000. The rapid rise of drones and eVTOLs provides China with an opportunity to catch up. Utilizing new energy sources and improving energy efficiency has greatly reduced barriers to aviation transportation.