Recently, the news of "the world's first public flight of an eVTOL aircraft on a cross-sea and inter-city route shortens the travel time from Shenzhen to Zhuhai to only 20 minutes" has excited consumers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. As Guangzhou has taken early steps into the low-altitude economy, what new developments can be expected? And when will the citizens of Guangzhou get their first try of "air taxis"?
On March 8th, reporters arrived at Tiande Plazza with the Guangzhou Low-altitude Economic Industry Development Media Research Group, witnessing XPeng X2, GAC Gove, and Autoflight V50 flying over the CBD of Zhujiang New Town. At 9:20a.m.,XPengX2 took off vertically from the Grade-A office buildings at Tiande Plazza, flying towards the Canton Tower in autopilot mode and crossing Guangzhou landmarks such as the Guangdong Museum, Huacheng Square, and Haixinsha Asian Games Park.
How far can air travel become a reality? "As the low-altitude economy gradually progresses and the low-altitude airspace starts to open up, we hope to see normalized operations in the near future," says Zhao Deli, indicating that low-altitude travel is a process expecting significant strides in the next 5 to 10 years.
According to Zhang Yi, president of eVTOL operation service provider HIT, this year marks the beginning of the commercialization era for Guangzhou's "air taxi." Zhang asserts that HIT will be among the first batch of operators to obtain a license, allowing consumers in Guangzhou to soon enjoy "air taxi" services.
But does the low-altitude economy stop here? In the agricultural drone showroom of Guangzhou XAG Co.,Ltd.,displays of agricultural drones, remote sensing drones, agricultural unmanned ground vehicles, autonomous driving units for agriculture, agricultural IoT, and smart agriculture systems illuminate the prospects of "smart agriculture." At the Taigucang Wharf in Liwan District, a bustling scene unfolds as drones delivering fresh aquatic products, beverages, fast food, and daily necessities arrive in succession, getting sorted and reloaded, before taking off again, laden with various goods.
"We completed the planning for the development of Guangzhou's low-altitude economy last year, aiming to reach a total scale of 210 billion yuan by 2027 and achieve 650 billion yuan by 2035. We continue to push forward the redevelopment of a new Guangzhou through the low-altitude economy," says He Tonglin, a senior research fellow at the Guangzhou Aerotropolis Development District Administration.