As China seeks to boost its low-altitude economy, which brings together a wide range of industries and services critical to work and daily life, new consumption models are rapidly emerging, such as air travel and logistics deliveries, which enable more efficient and cost-effective transportation at low altitudes.

On Saturday, a commercial passenger helicopter took off from Kunshan airport in eastern China’s Jiangsu province with a maximum cruising speed of nearly 200 kilometers per hour and flew directly to Shanghai Pudong airport for one of many planned test flights.

The experiment represents a significant advance in the development of low-altitude passenger transport using intermodal air-air services, reducing the 150-180 minute land journey between the two sites to just 30 minutes.

Kunshan posted a notice on its WeChat account confirming that Kunshan City Terminal will be the first city terminal in the country to launch air-air intermodal transportation service.

Intermodal air-air service refers to a transportation service that uses multiple air carriers to transport goods or passengers between different locations. Fast flying and exclusive flight routes increase travel efficiency by four to five times compared to ground commuting.

After the first phase of expansion is completed, travel time is expected to be reduced to about 20 minutes. The route is expected to attract between 20,000 and 30,000 passengers a year, bringing economic benefits of tens of millions of yuan, Shanghai Securities News reported.

Passengers can use this new interconnected flight service, whose single fare is 1,600 to 1,800 yuan (US$223 to US$251) per person, to travel efficiently from Kunshan to Shanghai Pudong in about 20 minutes. After arrival, passengers will be transferred to a civilian flight by a ground transportation vehicle. The entire journey, including ground transportation to the airport, takes within an hour.

The route will run between Kunshan, Shanghai Disneyland, Zhoushan in east China’s Zhejiang Province and Huangshan in east China’s Anhui Province after its official opening on August 18, the project official said. In addition to low-level tourist services, the route will also offer cross-border rescue flights in the future, he added.

The successful test flight marks a new stage in the application of this technological innovation, Cao Xintian, founder of Shanghai NewSky Heli Co, an aviation company responsible for carrying out the scheduled flight mission, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Cao expressed optimism about the development of the low-altitude economy as a strategic emerging industry, saying the goal is to maximize the benefits of the aviation industry and drive the growth of the burgeoning low-altitude sectors through strategic planning, innovative thinking and superior customer service.

Since the economy in the low-lying regions combines a wide range of industries and services, observers believe this emerging industry will play a crucial role in supporting the country’s economic development.

The low-altitude economy has a long industrial chain and broad application scenarios in industry, agriculture and service. It was defined as a strategic emerging industry at the country’s annual central economic conference at the end of 2023 and included in this year’s government work report as a new growth engine.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of the People’s Republic of China, the market size of the Chinese economy in the low-altitude aviation sector is estimated to exceed 500 billion yuan by 2023 and is expected to rise to two trillion yuan by 2030.