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 flight of an autonomous electric air taxi (Prosperity eVTOL), flying between Shenzhen and Zhuhai in just 20 minutes.
This demonstration supports China's broader strategy to develop a "low-altitude economy," aiming to establish hundreds of eVTOL routes and thousands of vertiports in the Greater Bay Area for various urban air mobility services.
AutoFlight's five-seat Prosperity eVTOL, which holds a record for the longest eVTOL flight, is progressing towards certification within two years and plans to perform demonstrations at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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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.