'Blue sky' powerhouse taking off

On a hot summer morning in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province, a futuristic flying taxi hums to life inside Luogang Park, a green space resurrected from an old airport in the city.

The EH216-S, a two-seater electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOL, lifts gracefully into the air. Its 16 carbon-fiber propellers slice through the breeze. Within seconds, it hovers 50 meters above the ground, casting a white silhouette against the bright sky.

"This aircraft is fully autonomous. It is designed for short-haul city transport, sightseeing, logistics even emergency response. Soon, passengers will be able to book rides above the city's skyline," said Zhang Yuhui, operations director at Hefei Heyi Aviation Co, which has developed the EH216-S.

This is not science fiction.

In March, Heyi became one of the first companies in China to be granted a civil aviation permit for operating manned passenger drones, which Zhang called "a passport to the sky".

China is doubling down on efforts to develop a low-altitude economy, and is likely to include the low-altitude economy as an important part of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), with an aim to build a "network in the sky", said Gao Yuanyang, director of the General Aviation Industry Research Center, Beihang University.

And Anhui province is quietly emerging as a front-runner in China's strategic shift from being a manufacturing stronghold to an aerospace powerhouse.