Commercial 'air commute' by flying cars closer to takeoff

Rapid development

The successful overseas flight of the Land Aircraft Carrier is a reflection of the rapid development of China's low-altitude economy, which spans manned airships, urban "aerial buses", rapid drone logistics, and storm-resilient emergency drones.

This fast growth is closely linked to national policy support. China said in its 2025 Government Work Report that it wanted "to promote the safe and healthy development of emerging industries such as commercial aerospace and the low-altitude economy".

This marks the second consecutive year that the low-altitude economy has been included in the report, reflecting a continuous upgrade in policy support.

Analysts say China's low-altitude economy features a coordinated development model of "top-level design plus local practice".

Statistics show that as of September this year, there had been over 50 low-altitude economy-related policies put in place nationwide covering infrastructure, scenario development, and safety regulation.

Of them, around 44 percent were issued by provincial governments, accelerating applications in low-altitude tourism, logistics, and emergency rescue.

City governments are also leveraging their individual advantages to advance the fast-evolving low-altitude economy.

In early 2024, authorities in Shenzhen, Guangdong, issued China's first local low-altitude economy regulation.

The regulation aims to establish a coordination mechanism for the sector's development and set up a collaborative low-altitude flight management mechanism with air traffic management authorities and civil aviation regulators.

In March, Shaoxing in Zhejiang province launched a 2.05-billion-yuan low-altitude infrastructure project, the largest of its kind in China, involving takeoff and landing sites.

"These sites not only meet the diverse needs of helicopters, eVTOLs, and drones, but will also adopt a development model that integrates cultural tourism, business services, and community services," Liu Gao, a transport bureau official in Shaoxing, told The Paper news outlet.

In September, the Chongqing municipal government issued a draft regulation seeking public comment, promising to provide up to 20 million yuan in subsidies for major low-altitude projects in the city.

In Chengdu, Sichuan province, the authorities have released measures to enhance infrastructure, flight supervision, market expansion, and industrial support, with incentives reaching up to 30 million yuan per company.

Besides policy support, technological breakthroughs along the industry chain are fueling the rise of the sector.

Battery manufacturing giants such as CATL are developing high-density batteries for both electric vehicles as well as robots and flying cars.

EVE, a battery maker headquartered in Guangdong, has been selected by XPeng Aeroht to provide low-voltage batteries for its projects.

The company has also been offering batteries to the parent company XPeng for its electric vehicles.

Huawei's AI-powered air-traffic management system, running on Ascend AI chips, can process millions of flight paths per second and has undergone city-scale simulation tests in Shenzhen.

Meanwhile, materials supplier Zhongfu Shenying has slashed the production cost of carbon fiber, making lightweight flying car frames more economically viable.

XPeng Chairman He Xiaopeng said a flying car can use up to 300 kilograms of carbon fiber compound materials.

"When we start production in 2026, our plant will be the one that consumes the most carbon fiber in the auto sector," he said.