Air taxi gains traction in Shenzhen in tapping low-altitude economy

The new transportation method of taking low-altitude "air taxis" has gained traction in south China's Shenzhen City, as the tech-savvy hub is blazing new trails to stimulate the aerospace economic revival.

Shenzhen has made the concept of "flying" over congested roads into reality by taking advantage of favorable police measures and low-altitude air transportation technology.

The Shenzhen Eastern General Aviation Company (Heli-Eastern), a major low-altitude general aviation carrier and helicopter service provider based in Shenzhen, is one of the local companies providing the air taxi service.

As a national low-altitude reform pilot unit authorized by the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, Heli-Eastern has been helping the city build the "highways in the sky" by introducing a variety of flight routes in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

By air taxi, travel time of 40 km on the road would be shortened to only 10 minutes from 40 to 60 minutes.

"With 30 days in calculation monthly, 10 flights will be operated daily on average. For example, it would usually take around 25 minutes to travel (from Shenzhen) to Guangzhou," Jin Xukong, captain of a helicopter, told China Media Group.

Liang Jin, director of the operation and control department at Heli-Eastern, said the air taxi service business has become much more popular. The company's flight schedule has already been booked until January next year.

In 2023, Heli-Eastern has so far completed over 5,000 flights, carrying over 10,000 passengers, and operating over 100 routes.

In December, China held its annual Central Economic Work Conference, which called for nurturing strategic emerging industries, including the low-altitude economy.

The concept of "low-altitude economy" was listed in national planning for the first time in February 2021.

According to a white paper released by the International Digital Economy Academy recently, by 2025, the comprehensive contribution of the low-altitude economy to China's national economy will reach somewhere between 3 to 5 trillion yuan (about $420 billion to $700 billion).