​Low-altitude passenger route test flights completed in Chengdu

Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, completed test flights for its first two low-altitude passenger routes in the city's urban area on Thursday.

Operated by Aerofugia, a Chengdu-based tech company specializing in low-altitude transportation and smart industry solutions, the two test flights were conducted using the same Italian-made AgustaWestland AW109 helicopter.

The test flight for the first route departed from the Luodai General Airport in eastern Chengdu and stopped at the Business and Innovation Center of China-Europe Cooperation in the Chengdu high-tech zone and Qingcheng Mountain in northwestern Chengdu, and then returned to the Luodai General Airport.

The test flight for the second route departed from the Luodai General Airport, stopped at the Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, and returned to Luodai General Airport.

Lei Wentian, captain of the helicopter, said the flight altitude was set at 100 meters to minimize the impact on other civil aviation flights.

"The whole flight process was smooth and fast," he said.

Tu Qiang, product director of Aerofugia, who rode on the helicopter, said the success of the test flights laid the foundation for Aerofugia to expand its low-altitude travel business in Chengdu.

He said Aerofugia will adopt a "step-by-step" operational strategy to bring the low-altitude travel services into people's daily lives. The ultimate goal is to realize large-scale urban low-altitude flight operations using its self-developed electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) products.

The company has completed the maiden flight of its AE200 electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for airworthiness certification at the end of last year.