Homegrown Aurora aircraft rides low-altitude biz boom

With the rapid growth of China's low-altitude economy, Starair Aircraft, a general aviation manufacturer based in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, has experienced a significant surge in product sales in recent years.

The company's flagship product — the Starair Aurora, a two-seat light sport aircraft — sold and delivered over 100 units in 2025 alone, said Deng Yu, general manager of Starair Aircraft.

"It took more than a decade to reach our first 100 deliveries, but the next 100 took less than two years. The opening of airspace across the country has significantly boosted market adoption of our products," Deng said.

First introduced in 2008, the Aurora aircraft is the first domestically developed light sport aircraft to receive airworthiness certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. To date, its cumulative deliveries have exceeded 450 units, capturing more than 80 percent of the domestic market in the light sport aircraft category, with exports to Russia, the United States and Australia.

In January, Starair made a major technological breakthrough by delivering the first Aurora aircraft equipped with both an engine and an avionics system developed domestically, significantly reducing reliance on imported components.

"In the past, core technologies like engines and avionics were controlled by Western countries, leading to challenges such as high costs and extended delivery times, which severely constrained our development. With breakthroughs in core technologies, we have gained greater autonomy and control in our production and development processes," Deng said, adding that the aircraft is also equipped with the company's self-developed intelligent operating system.

"For abnormal pilot operations — for example, if the pilot forgets to switch on the fuel selector valve or leaves the cabin door unsealed — we have intelligent sensing and alert systems on the aircraft to correct them in time. Simultaneously, data is transmitted through our cloud platform to our ground team, who would provide timely reminders and feedback to improve cockpit safety."

The Aurora aircraft sold overseas are primarily used for private recreational flying, while in China, the main customers are general aviation operating companies, utilizing them for pilot training and aerial performances.

Compared to Europe and the US, there is still enormous untapped potential in China's general aviation and private flying market, Deng said.

"We will work with our government and the entire industry to make private flying safer and more accessible in China, while also expanding our international presence," he added.

Beyond aircraft, Starair is developing more new products for emerging low-altitude applications. For example, its tethered drone fire truck is designed to tackle high-rise building fires, a major challenge in urban firefighting. This innovative solution integrates a high-load tethered drone with a ground support vehicle. The drone, powered and supplied by the ground vehicle, can autonomously take off and land from the vehicle's roof and operate at heights of up to 200 meters, effectively extinguishing fires high above street level.

He Qinghua, founder and president of Starair Aircraft, emphasized the company's commitment to heavy investment in research and development. In the first half, R&D spending is expected to have accounted for more than 40 percent of the company's total capital expenditure.

"The development of the low-altitude sector demands exceptional patience and endurance; you cannot rush it," said He, who is also a retired professor of engineering at Central South University in Changsha, Hunan.

"We must keep investing in R&D and innovation to bring more products to market."

The CAAC expects the country's low-altitude economy to reach 3.5 trillion yuan ($520 billion) by 2035. The sector has become a key driver in the development of new quality productive forces in the country and was listed as one of the emerging pillar industries in this year's Government Work Report.

Contact the writers at limuyun@chinadaily.com.cn