AutoFlight delivers first electric air taxi to customer in Japan

AutoFlight officially delivered its first Prosperity aircraft to a customer in Japan, marking what the company says is the world’s inaugural delivery of a civilian ton-class electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

The five-seater Prosperity aircraft was handed over to the customer, a pioneering Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operator in Japan. The operator, to be identified later, is currently developing plans for demonstration eVTOL flights at the 2025 Osaka World Expo, as well as a wider AAM rollout in Japan.

In another recent milestone, AutoFlight's CarryAll aircraft, the cargo variant of Prosperity, obtained type certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on March 22, 2024. This marks the world’s first eVTOL aircraft more than one ton to have been awarded type certification.

Tian Yu, founder and co-chairman of AutoFlight, said: “The official delivery of the first Prosperity to a customer signifies a new chapter for AutoFlight as we begin to ship our innovative electric aircraft to global markets. Additionally, on the cargo side, the receipt of orders for over 200 CarryAll planes already demonstrates a very strong market demand for our products.”

The recent CarryAll orders include 30 units for ZTO Express, one of the world’s largest logistics companies.

Referring to CarryAll receiving CAAC type certification, Tian said: “Successfully completing this certification was a lengthy and extremely rigorous process and I would like to thank the review team and all my colleagues for their painstaking efforts. This achievement establishes a robust foundation for AutoFlight’s forthcoming large-scale commercial operations.”

Securing airworthiness type 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 2 tons, operates autonomously and on electric power. Its compliance verification encompassed various aspects, including performance control, stability, lift/thrust system, structural strength/composite blades, battery system, avionics system, electrical system, and flight performance. The thorough review process involved manufacturing compliance inspections and the witnessing of 46 major compliance verification tests at the equipment level, 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, involving 156 flights and exceeding a total flight distance of 10,000km.

In February 2024, AutoFlight presented the world’s first inter-city electric air taxi demonstration flight between the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. AutoFlight’s Prosperity aircraft completed the significant milestone by autonomously flying the 50km (31 miles) route from Shenzhen to Zhuhai. The flight across the Pearl River Delta took 20 minutes, a journey that would require three hours by car. This achievement marks the world’s first public flight of an eVTOL aircraft on a cross-sea and inter-city route.

The route between Shenzhen and Zhuhai is part of the future air traffic scenario planned by the regional government as it develops its ‘low-altitude economy’ strategy that will see the opening of thousands of vertiports and hundreds of eVTOL air 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 about 86 million people, and in an airspace that borders multiple international airports, including Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Macau. The flight showcased AutoFlight’s cutting-edge aviation technology in a highly complex environment, and its dedication to safety and regulatory compliance in pushing the boundaries of urban air mobility.