AutoFlight Delivers Civilian Ton-Class eVTOL
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AutoFlight has officially delivering its first Prosperity aircraft to a customer in Japan, marking what is believes to be the world’s inaugural delivery of a civilian ton-class eVTOL aircraft.
The five-seater Prosperity aircraft was handed over to the customer, an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operator in Japan. The operator, to be identified in due course, 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 for the eVTOL company, AutoFlight's CarryAll aircraft, the cargo variant of Prosperity, obtained Type Certification (TC) from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) this March. AutoFlight believes this marks the world’s first eVTOL aircraft above one ton to have been awarded type certification.
The recent CarryAll orders include 30 units for ZTO Express, a NYSE and HKEX dual-listed company and a logistics company.
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 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 10,000 kms.
In February, AutoFlight presented an inter-city electric air taxi demonstration flight between the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai. AutoFlight’s Prosperity aircraft completed the 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.
