Low-altitude travel service providers in Shenzhen of south China's Guangdong Province are enjoying robust business growths.
The China Ocean Helicopter Corporation now operates six aerial tour and intercity routes. The helicopter trips, often dozens of kilometers long but consuming only 10 minutes, allow passengers to appreciate the cityscape at an altitude of 300 meters.
Passengers can place orders using their cellphones, and the price for each trip ranges from 600 to 3,000 yuan (about 82 to 410 U.S. dollars) per person.
Sometimes on weekends, the company gets to fly its helicopters for a dozen of times, according to Zhang Jin, general manager of company's Shenzhen Office.
"So far the market response is positive. Next, we plan to launch routes to Hong Kong and Macao in cooperation with the customs and ports," said Zhang said.
Heli-Eastern, another low-altitude travel service provider in Shenzhen, has also seen a sharp businesses growth recently, according to Zhou Hui, general manager of the company's Department of Planning.
"The bookings for aerial tours from the high-speed railway station to various places around Shenzhen and other parts of the Greater Bay Area are actually quite high. We are also working to establish a headquarters base, which will be able to accommodate more than 300 aircraft," Zhou said.
Although low-altitude travel is timesaving, industry insiders admit that since the cost per trip is over 1,000 yuan (about 140 U.S. dollars) per person, helicopter travel is still an option for only a small group of people.
So they pin the hope in significantly reducing costs with electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs).
"If we have mature eVTOL services on this route, we estimate the costs will be one seventh to one tenth of the current level," Zhang said.
In Hefei City of east China's Anhui Province, an operation center for small eVTOLs have already been established.
The unmanned aircraft there can fly up to 30 kilometers with two passengers on board.
The operation center has already acquired the relevant type certificate and production certificate. Once its operation certificate is approved, the base will begin commercial operation, according to Li Xiaona, vice president of EHang, a world's leading urban air mobility technology platform company.
"We have three routes here, going in three different directions with different views. It's designed to have 80 to 100 aircraft taking off or landing daily," Li said.
China's low-altitude economy is taking off with impressive speed. The Civil Aviation Administration of China estimates that the country's low-altitude market will soar from 500 billion yuan in 2023 to 1.5 trillion yuan in 2025 and as much as 3.5 trillion yuan in 2035.
In 2024, the term "low-altitude economy" was included for the first time in the Chinese government's work report, signifying an official endorsement that has emboldened numerous cities.
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