Low-altitude flights help to beat traffic woes

A helicopter flies along the recently launched low altitude flight route linking Shenzhen's downtown area and Guangzhou Haixinsha Park to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, at the end of October. (Photo/CHINA DAILY)

A helicopter that took off from a downtown area in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, at about 12:10 pm on Oct 31 landed successfully at a helipad in Guangzhou's Haixinsha Park after about 30 minutes of flying.

The helicopter subsequently took off from Haixinsha at 4:35 pm and landed at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport after another 18 minutes.

The successful maiden flight marks the opening of the first low-altitude flight route from Baiyun Airport to Haixinsha Park in Guangdong's provincial capital and Shenzhen, a statement released by the Guangdong Airport Authority said recently.

The low-altitude route is jointly operated by Yitong Business Aviation Management Co Ltd and Shenzhen-based Heli-Eastern, a low-altitude reform pilot unit recognized by the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the Shenzhen municipal government.

Cai Wuqun, an executive with the Strategic Development Department of Heli-Eastern, said low-altitude traffic mainly solves the problem of traffic congestion between cities and within the urban areas of a city.

"It takes only 18 minutes from Baiyun International Airport to Guangzhou's Zhujiang New Town, a central business district in the southern metropolis, which can meet the high efficiency travel demand of business representatives," said Cai.

As two core cities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou and Shenzhen not only have large economic volumes and strong industrial foundations, but also numerous private enterprises.

The two cities also share economic development links, strong demand for passenger and freight transportation, and frequent and close business exchanges, he said.

Currently, ground transportation from Shenzhen to Guangzhou Haixinsha takes more than 120 minutes, and from Haixinsha to Baiyun Airport, it is more than 50 minutes.

With the newly launched helicopter service, it only takes 30 minutes by air to fly from Shenzhen to Haixinsha, and another two minutes for security checks.

And it takes only 18 minutes by air to fly from Haixinsha to Baiyun Airport, plus two minutes for a security check.