China's mountainous Guizhou set to launch regular low-altitude drone logistics route

GUIYANG -- The mountainous southwestern Chinese province of Guizhou plans to launch its first regular low-altitude drone logistics route this year, following a successful cross-city cargo trial flight of a domestically developed electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

On Nov 20, the 2-tonne eVTOL carried emergency medicines and local agricultural products from a low-altitude flight service base in the provincial capital city Guiyang to a general airport in Huangping county of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, covering 118 km in just 40 minutes.

Traveling by traditional ground transport between the two locations takes more than two hours through the karst landscape.

Huo Kui, project director at a low-altitude economy development company wholly-owned by Guizhou Civil Aviation Industry Group, said the flight tested the aircraft's stability and efficiency in Guizhou's complex mountainous terrain and would provide equipment and data support for transporting agricultural and emergency supplies.

He revealed that the province aims to make the route operational this year, with plans to later expand its applications to include passenger tourism and commuter transport.

The aircraft, V2000CG CarryAll developed by Shanghai-based company AutoFlight, is the only eVTOL globally with a maximum takeoff weight exceeding 1 tonne to have obtained all three required Chinese aviation certificates, namely the type certificate, the production certificate and the airworthiness certificate. It has a payload capacity of up to 400 kg with a maximum cruising speed of 200 km per hour and a range of 200 km, powered by batteries from CATL, AutoFlight's strategic investor.

Li Yun, chief commercial officer at AutoFlight's Kunshan company, which serves as the core module and final assembly production base, said the company aims to enhance Guizhou's low-altitude economy and support rural revitalization and modern logistics.

China's low-altitude economy is entering a stage of rapid growth. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the market value of the sector will soar from 500 billion yuan (about $70.5 billion) in 2023 to 1.5 trillion yuan in 2025, and that number could reach an astounding 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035.