AutoFlight Makes First Public Intercity Flight of Electric Air Taxi

The Chinese manufacturer said it was the first to achieve the milestone, flying about 31 miles between Shenzhen and Zhuhai.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 02:20 PM ET

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AutoFlight’s Prosperity eVTOL air taxi flew autonomously between the Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. [Courtesy: AutoFlight]

Key Takeaways:

China's AutoFlight successfully completed the world's first public intercity demonstration of an autonomous eVTOL air taxi, flying its Prosperity aircraft between Shenzhen and Zhuhai in 20 minutes.
The five-seat, uncrewed Prosperity eVTOL holds the record for the longest eVTOL flight and is designed for quiet, efficient urban air mobility.
This demonstration is a significant step in China's strategy to develop a "low-altitude economy," planning hundreds of eVTOL routes and thousands of vertiports in the Greater Bay Area.
AutoFlight anticipates CAAC certification for crewed passenger flights within two years and has secured an order for 100 Prosperity aircraft for regional operations.

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China’s AutoFlight on Tuesday said it took an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft where one had never been before.

The manufacturer claims to have completed the world’s first public electric air taxi demonstration between two cities, flying its Prosperity eVTOL across the Pearl River Delta between the Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. The flight—a journey that would take about three hours by car—lasted just 20 minutes.