An aerial drone photo shows China's first homegrown AS700 civil manned airship during its demonstration flight in Yangshuo County in Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept 14, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Once mysterious skies are becoming more and more accessible to Chinese as the country facilitates the progress of its burgeoning low-altitude economy.

Fancy and trending flying vehicles such as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and future-oriented new-configuration aircraft are highlights of the ongoing 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China, in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province.

The Chinese leadership recently reiterated its determination to improve the institutions and mechanisms for modernizing infrastructure, a policy made evident by a resolution adopted at the third plenum of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The resolution noted that China will develop both general aviation and its low-altitude economy.

Blooming freely

"We should cherish this era of innovative low-altitude aircraft blooming freely," Guo Liang, Aerofugia CEO and chief scientist, told Xinhua during an exclusive interview.

Aerofugia, a subsidiary of China's EV giant Geely Auto, launched the batch production version of its AE200 manned tilt rotor eVTOL aircraft at the airshow in Zhuhai.

The launch confirmed that this type of Chinese-developed low-altitude aircraft has moved from scientific research to the mass production stage. It is scheduled to start manned verification flights in 2025. "It will not be long for citizens to experience flying cars," Guo said.

Chengdu-based Aerofugia has already received its first purchase order for 100 eVTOLs from Sino Jet, a Chinese business aviation management firm. In February 2024, U.S. Aviation Week listed Aerofugia among the top 10 eVTOL developers in the world.

"Thank you to our aviation predecessors, as it is your efforts that enable us to stand on the shoulders of giants and look at the world from a position of equality, while making breakthroughs in the fierce competition of aeronautical technologies," said Guo, while receiving the award of "Person of the Year" at the 16th China Aerospace Laureates Awards at the airshow.

Also at the airshow, a type of Chinese independently-developed AS700 civil manned airship secured a purchase order for 10 airships, while obtaining additional intent purchase orders for 164 such aircraft.

Jingmen Urban Construction Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd., signed an intent purchase order for 60 AS700 airships at the airshow.

"This move is aimed at securing new market opportunities in the low-altitude economy," said the company's chairman Cheng Xiong in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

"The airship will initially be deployed in fashionable low-altitude tourism applications. In the future, we plan to expand its use to aerial photography, city inspections and other application scenarios under continuous exploration," Cheng added.

According to Cheng, the company is already planning to establish a subsidiary focusing on airship operations. With an eye on "full lifecycle management" of airships and other low-altitude aircraft, the company is partnering with airship developers concerning maintenance, operations, and other related services.

The ten-seater AS700 airship was developed by the Special Vehicle Research Institute under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the country's leading aircraft manufacturer.

Echoing new trends

Notably, the AVIC has launched a series of its newly-developed UAVs and eVTOL products at the airshow, with a focus on unmanned, electric and intelligent trends prevalent in the low-altitude economy.

The company has comprehensively built a high-end low-altitude equipment system featuring high safety, high reliability, high performance and low cost, the AVIC revealed at a low-altitude economy-focused press conference at the airshow.

Targeting to meet the demands of diversified application scenarios, the AVIC is planning to create a variety of eVTOL series products with fully independent intellectual property rights -- doing so by giving full play to its tech advantages and tech-integration capabilities.

These products are set to offer maximum take-off weights ranging from 400 kg to 3 tonnes, and will include tilting rotors, multi-rotors and other configurations, as well as manned and unmanned modes.

Industry experts believe that propulsion is the key to developing the low-altitude economy.

"On the new track of the low-altitude economy, the propulsion system of aircraft must come first. We need to highlight the need for innovation-driven development, green development and cross-border integration of technologies, doing so in an open manner to the world," said Yin Zeyong, aero-engine expert and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. 

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