Thousands of passenger, cargo drones will fill Hong Kong skies in decade, expert says
Mainland Chinese eVTOL leader AutoFlight will spread wings in Hong Kong amid global push into flying taxi market
Thousands of passenger and cargo air taxis could be flying across Hong Kong within a decade as the low-altitude economy takes off, according to one of mainland China’s largest drone makers, which hopes to launch operations in the city.
AutoFlight senior vice-president Kellen Tse told the Post the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer plans to significantly expand in Hong Kong, potentially paving the way for its international headquarters in the city.
Backed by CATL, the world’s largest electric vehicle battery maker, the Shanghai-based firm aims to extend its presence across the city to support emerging opportunities in Hong Kong’s nascent flying taxi market.
Tse called Hong Kong a “very, very important key” to AutoFlight’s international growth.
“We are planning [to have] at least more than a dozen to 20 people, maybe by this year,” Tse said. The team would include sales and marketing, business development and government relations, and would continue to grow in the future, he added.
The expansion plan arose from Tse’s vision that thousands of passenger and cargo eVTOL aircraft could be flying across Hong Kong airspace within a decade.