Guangzhou's Panyu District officially launched the city's first "air taxi" network on April 8, offering rapid aerial travel between cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
As of April 8, the service has added eight key business takeoff and landing points in Panyu, including Guangzhou South Railway Station, the Panyu District government, and the Youth Innovation & Startup Hub in the Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center. The service, available through the "空中的士出行" WeChat mini-program, provides options for scenic flights, private charters, and quick city-to-city connections, allowing users to travel to destinations like Shenzhen and Zhuhai in just 30 minutes.
The mini-program currently offers a selection of designated intercity routes. Users can also design custom routes by making prior arrangements with the platform's customer service. Point-to-point flight routes can be tailored, and pricing details must be confirmed with customer service in advance.
The launch also saw a strategic partnership between the Panyu District Government and Shenzhen Eastern General Aviation Co., Ltd. (Heli-Eastern), which signed an agreement to establish 25 low-altitude takeoff and landing points.
These points will primarily serve business travel, emergency rescue, and cultural tourism. The service promises to connect the region's key landmarks, such as the Lingnan Impression Garden, the Lianhua Mountain Scenic Area, and the Zhuhai Jiuzhou Passenger Port. Additionally, nine emergency rescue points, including hospitals like the Affiliated Panyu Central Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University and the Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre Hospital of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, will ensure quick response times.
This new network is part of a broader effort to create a seamless transport system in the GBA, with over 100 takeoff and landing points planned to connect the cities of the region. Cai Wuqin, Vice President of Shenzhen Eastern General Aviation Co., Ltd., stated that with the effect of large-scale operations, costs will be reduced, making the service more affordable. It is expected to be around two to three times the cost of a regular ground taxi.