China-built electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft gears up for airworthiness certification

China's first domestically developed 2-ton electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, or eVTOL, is expected to obtain airworthiness certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China by the end of 2025, according to a senior manager of the developer.

The five-seat eVTOL aircraft, or Matrix 1, independently developed by Zhongshan FCourier Aviation Technology Co, a professional industrial-grade unmanned aerial system provider based in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, completed its maiden flight in October 2023.

The large eVTOL aircraft received an acceptance for airworthiness application from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in January last year, becoming the first accepted 2-ton aircraft in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

"Pre-sales of the eVTOL aircraft have already commenced, with potential orders in place," said Zhou Ping, director of government public affairs of the company.

Currently, Zhongshan has 33 companies engaged in the low-altitude economy sector, collectively generating sales revenue exceeding 5.7 billion yuan in 2024, according to the local government statistics.

The first cross-sea low-altitude logistics commercial route in the Greater Bay Area has been officially launched at the Hongchang Logistics Park in Xiaolan township of Zhongshan.

Presently, Zhongshan has opened two low-altitude commercial logistics routes, linking to Shenzhen and Zhuhai, respectively.