AutoFlight delivers first aircraft
AutoFlight has delivered its first Prosperity aircraft to a customer in Japan, marking what it says is the world’s first delivery of a civilian ton-class eVTOL.
The five-seat aircraft was handed over to an undisclosed AAM operator. The customer is currently developing plans for demonstration eVTOL flights at the 2025 Osaka World Expo, as well as a wider AAM rollout in Japan.
Tian Yu, founder and co-chairman of AutoFlight, said: “The official delivery of the first Prosperity to a customer signifies a new chapter for AutoFlight as we begin to ship our innovative electric aircraft to global markets. Additionally, on the cargo side the receipt of orders for over 200 CarryAll planes already demonstrates a very strong market demand for our products.”
On March 22, 2024 AutoFlight’s CarryAll, the cargo variant of Prosperity, obtained Type Certification (TC) from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). In another first, AutoFlight claim to have the first eVTOL above one ton to attain type certification. Recent orders include 30 units for logistics giant ZTO Express.
“Successfully completing this certification was a lengthy and extremely rigorous process and I would like to thank the review team and all my colleagues for their painstaking efforts,” said Yu. “This achievement establishes a robust foundation for AutoFlight’s forthcoming large-scale commercial operations.”
According to AutoFlight, the thorough review process for CarryAll involved manufacturing compliance inspections and the witnessing of 46 major compliance verification tests at the equipment level, system level and structural component level. Also, 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 10,000km (6,200miles).
