AutoFlight delivers first electric air taxi to a customer in Japan

Tech start-up AutoFlight, dedicated to advancing electric aerial vehicles for logistics and urban air mobility solutions, has officially delivered its first prosperity eVTOL aircraft to a customer in Japan.

This will be the world’s first delivery of a civilian ton-class eVTOL aircraft.

The five-seater aircraft was handed over to the customer, an advanced air mobility operator in Japan, who will be identified in due course.

The operator is currently developing plans for demonstrated eVTOL flights at the e2025 Osaka World Expo, as well as a wider AAM rollout in Japan.

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 the firm begins to ship electric aircraft to global markets.

“Over 200 CarryAll planes already demonstrate a very strong market demand for our products.”

The recent CarryAll orders include 30 units for ZTO Express, a NYSE and HKEX dual-listed company and one of the world’s largest logistics companies.

Referring to CarryAll receiving Type Certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Tian said completing the certification was lengthy and rigorous but he wanted to thank the review team and all colleagues for their efforts.

“This achievement establishes a robust foundation for AutoFlight’s forthcoming large-scale 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 review process involved manufacturing compliance inspections and witnessing of 46 major compliance verification tests at the equipment level, system level and structural component level.  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 10,000 km.

In February, 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 just 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.

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