Up, up and away
AutoFlight, a global high-tech start-up, has achieved a milestone by delivering its first Prosperity aircraft to a client in Japan.
It marks the world’s inaugural delivery of a civilian tonne-class electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The five-seater Prosperity, pictured above and below, has been handed over to the customer, a pioneer in advanced air mobility.
The operator is currently developing plans for demonstration flights at the 2025 Osaka World Expo and a wider rollout in Japan.
In addition, AutoFlight’s CarryAll, the cargo variant of Prosperity, has obtained type certification (TC) from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. This marks the world’s first eVTOL aircraft above one tonne to have been awarded TC.
Tian Yu, founder and co-chairman of AutoFlight, says: “The official delivery of the first Prosperity signifies a new chapter for us as we begin to ship our innovative electric aircraft to global markets.
“Additionally, orders for more than 200 CarryAll planes already demonstrates strong market demand for our products.
“Successfully completing the TC certification was a lengthy and rigorous process. It establishes a robust foundation for AutoFlight’s forthcoming large-scale commercial operations.”
Securing TC airworthiness certification is vital for ensuring the safety and market entry of the aircraft for commercial operations.
The CarryAll, with a maximum take-off weight of two tonnes, operates autonomously and on electric power.
Its TC included performance control, stability, the lift-thrust system, structural strength and composite blades, battery system, avionics system, electricals and flight performance.
The review process involved manufacturing compliance inspections, and 46 major tests at equipment, system level and structural component level.
Additionally, the CarryAll airworthiness certification prototype completed eight major compliance tests, including plateau performance, data link and ground station functions. This involved 156 flights and a flight distance of more than 10,000km.
In February, AutoFlight presented the world’s first inter-city electric air-taxi demonstration flight between the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. It was autonomous and covered 50km.
The journey took 20 minutes. It was the world’s first public flight of an eVTOL aircraft on a cross-sea and inter-city route. The trip would have taken three hours by car.
The route between Shenzhen and Zhuhai is part of a future air-traffic strategy being planned by the regional government as it develops a “low-altitude economy”. It will see the opening of thousands of vertiports and hundreds of eVTOL routes across the Greater Bay Area in southern China.
The demonstration flight took place in one of the world’s most densely populated areas, home to around 86 million people, and in an airspace bordering multiple international airports including Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Macau.
