Shanghai spearheads China's 'flying taxi' future

A city's support, a nation's vision

VerTaxi has received significant support from the Shanghai government.

In 2023, the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) provided a platform for VerTaxi to showcase its M1 eVTOL aircraft, which marked its global debut.

"The CIIE, a national platform, significantly increased the company's visibility and industry attention," VerTaxi vice president Yue Tingting said. "The day after our debut, VerTaxi received a letter of intent from Longhao Airlines, worth 230 million yuan ($31.66 million), for the purchase of our aircraft."

Shanghai's commitment to strengthening the low-altitude economy is further reflected in an action plan for the high-quality development of the low-altitude economic industry between 2024 and 2027, which aims to build the first inter-provincial low-altitude air transportation network in China by 2027.

Luo Bin contributed to this story.