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COMAC announced that the first C919 plateau-type aircraft successfully completed its maiden flight on July 29.

The prototype, registered as B-002U (manufacturer serial number MSN 00032), took off from runway 4 of Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 7:59 AM Beijing time.

The aircraft remained airborne for 1 hour and 59 minutes and completed all scheduled test-flight subjects, COMAC said, adding that the successful test flight marks a step forward in the serialized development of the C919 aircraft family.

The plateau variant, internally designated C919-600, is a derivative of the standard C919 model.

COMAC has implemented structural and system modifications including a shortened fuselage – reduced by approximately 3.6 meters (equivalent to six fuselage frames, or about 11.8 feet) to a total length of about 34 meters (approximately 111.5 feet) – and system function improvements to meet operational requirements at high-altitude airports.

The aircraft is configured with 140 to 160 seats and has a range of approximately 3,000 kilometers (about 1,864 miles).

It retains the LEAP-1C engine with weight reductions to improve thrust-to-weight ratio.

Additional modifications include an extended emergency oxygen supply – increased from the standard 15 minutes to 60 minutes – and the installation of Beidou satellite navigation with RNP-AR precision approach capability.

Video: CAAC News

The variant is being developed in cooperation with Tibet Airlines, which has placed an order for 40 aircraft.

The prototype rolled out at COMAC’s Shanghai Pudong base in January and completed low-, medium-, and high-speed taxi tests prior to the maiden flight.

In June, the outer wing box received certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Following the maiden flight, the prototype will undergo a series of research and test flights over the next year, including environmental adaptability validation at high-altitude airports in Qinghai and Tibet.

According to local media reports, COMAC aims to complete full type certification and enter commercial service by 2028. The manufacturer has not confirmed a timeline.

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Sri Lanka's civil aviation regulator has held talks with EHang on introducing eVTOL aircraft in the country, it said on Tuesday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) met representatives of EHang Intelligent and government agencies to discuss regulatory and safety frameworks for advanced air mobility, the regulator said in a statement.

The eVTOL developer proposed establishing a regulatory sandbox in Sri Lanka for research, development and trial operations.

The talks followed a recent meeting between EHang and Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku. CAASL Director General Capt. Daminda Rambukwella, Deputy Director General Capt. L.P. Dahanayake and inspector Praveen Wijesinghe attended the discussions.

A separate meeting included representatives from the Ministry of Defence, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, Airport and Aviation Services (Private) Limited, CAASL and EHang.

Discussions covered airspace integration, infrastructure, certification, safety oversight and inter-agency coordination; participants also discussed potential benefits including transport connectivity, sustainable aviation and economic development.

According to CAASL, both sides agreed to continue engagement while ensuring any future moves align with international safety standards.

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On July 28, Zhuhai’s municipal government approved the Zhuhai Low-Altitude Takeoff and Landing Point Layout Plan (2024-2035).

The plan covers the city’s administrative area excluding the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone. It sets a base year of 2024, a near-term implementation target of 2027 and a long-term horizon of 2035, aligning with the current territorial spatial master plan.

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AutoFlight and its Kazakh partner Alatau Advance Air Group Ltd (AAAG) completed a public flight demonstration of the passenger-carrying Prosperity I eVTOL aircraft in Astana on July 24.

The demonstration was staged as a supporting event for the Games of the Future 2026 — an international sports and tech competition with participants from over 50 countries.

According to company statements, the demo was intended to integrate future air mobility, connecting the low-altitude economy to the future of sports and expanding the global reach of advanced air mobility (AAM).

AutoFlight said more than 300 guests attended the event, including Chinese Ambassador Han Chunlin, presidential aide Kuanyeshbek Yessekeyev, South Korean Ambassador Jung Ki-hong, and Civil Aviation Committee Director General Michael Daniel.

The committee issued a special permit for the operation, and Daniel was present at the site to express his approval.

The demonstration is part of Kazakhstan’s systematic efforts to establish urban air mobility, AAAG Chief Executive Sergey Khegay said.

He noted that the country is concurrently advancing regulatory updates, infrastructure construction, and international technical collaboration to build an industrial ecosystem for future air travel.

Khegay added that the trial flights help the industry prepare at the technical, operational, and regulatory levels before commercial applications.

AAAG aims to make low-altitude transport an integral part of Kazakhstan's overall mobility network.

AutoFlight Senior Vice President Xie Jia described the Astana demonstration as a significant step in the company’s international push and its low-altitude Belt and Road cooperation.

He said the firm’s global ambitions extend beyond aircraft exports to operational systems and certification, adding that the test flight offered a real-world measure of its cross-disciplinary capabilities.

Plans call to scale AAM worldwide through innovation, regulatory alignment across markets, and operational system development.

Legislative Amendments

The flight followed legislative amendments signed in June and effective from July, which formally incorporated eVTOL aircraft and vertiports into the national regulatory framework covering digitalization, road transport, and advanced transport technologies.

The law amends the country’s existing legislation on airspace use and aviation activities, creating a dedicated legal environment for what is now officially termed “Advanced Air Mobility,” with subcategories covering both urban and regional air transport.

The amendments introduce seven core provisions.

They establish a legal basis for operating eVTOL aircraft and other AAM-approved vehicles, while simultaneously granting vertiports official status as critical infrastructure and setting out operational rules for such facilities.

New certification mechanisms are created for aircraft developers, manufacturers, urban air mobility operators, and civilian drones.

The law also mandates the creation of a digital traffic management system for unmanned aircraft, covering identification, route planning, and airspace coordination, alongside cybersecurity and digital infrastructure requirements to support those services.

Finally, the amendments refine state procedures for registration, certification, and flight organization of civil uncrewed systems.

With the new framework in place, Kazakhstan joins a select group of jurisdictions that have codified specific regulations for eVTOL operations, alongside the United States, the European Union, South Korea, and China.

The legislation is expected to provide regulatory certainty for investors and technology partners, allowing international collaboration and paving the way for commercial services.

The public flight demonstration by AutoFlight and AAAG in Astana on July 24, was the first eVTOL flight conducted under the new rules.

Industry observers anticipate that regular commercial AAM operations in Kazakhstan could begin as early as late 2028 or early 2029, once supporting infrastructure and operational procedures are fully in place.

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Vertaxi announced today the public debut of its M1 air ambulance mission verification aircraft at the Shanghai International Advanced Air Mobility Expo (AAM Shanghai).

The 2-ton-class crewed eVTOL was developed in collaboration with Ruijin Hospital.

According to the eVTOL maker, the aircraft addresses emergency medical rescue scenarios. The State Council’s recently released “National Health ‘15th Five-Year Plan” supports qualified regions to carry out aviation medical rescue.

Vertaxi projects that, at scale, the M1 will reduce peak-hour ground travel between Ruijin Hospital’s Jinshan and Huangpu campuses from 90–100 minutes to approximately 15 minutes.

Conventional rescue helicopters cost 30,000 to 70,000 yuan per hour; Vertaxi puts the eVTOL aircraft’s operating cost at 15% of that, projecting flight costs at the thousand-yuan level.

The cabin is equipped with micro-infusion pumps, defibrillator monitors, and emergency transport ventilators. Vertaxi said the M1 has completed feasibility verification for cabin space, medical equipment, and rescue procedures.

Plans call to optimize onboard medical systems and advance the engineering prototype, focusing on reliability and refinement.

Prior to the M1's debut, Vertaxi noted that its industrial drone brand FCourier conducted clinical blood deliveries in Chuzhou and Zhongshan, reducing transport times from 40–50 minutes to about 15 minutes.

CEO Xie Ling said the eVTOL restructures the cost structure of traditional general aviation, drawing on domestic new energy and smart manufacturing supply chains.

Vertaxi added it will continue cooperation with Ruijin Hospital to build a 10- to 15-minute urban emergency rescue network.

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AutoFlight announced today it has entered into a framework cooperation agreement with logistics provider SF Express to develop low-altitude transport solutions, with an initial focus on offshore wind farm operations.

The agreement was inked at the opening of Shanghai International Advanced Air Mobility Expo (AAM Shanghai).

The partnership aims to tackle key operational challenges in the marine energy sector, including lengthy transit times for personnel and materials to offshore sites and inefficient turbine inspections.

Plans call for the creation of standardized low-altitude transport and intelligent maintenance systems targeting offshore energy servicing, oversized cargo transport, and island-to-offshore logistics.

For its part, AutoFlight said it will provide its eVTOL aircraft and water-airport infrastructure, while SF Express will contribute its logistics network and experience managing offshore energy projects.

The V2000CG cargo aircraft will serve as the initial platform for the collaboration, having received Chinese airworthiness certification and a Validated Type Certificate (VTC) from Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The agreement also include the V2000EM passenger model, which is currently undergoing certification, as well as AutoFlight’s SunShip water-based airport system.

AutoFlight noted that industry-wide demand in the marine energy sector could reach more than 100 water airports and over 300 eVTOL aircraft in the coming years.

The company added that it will supply aircraft and infrastructure as needed to support SF Express’s expansion of zero-carbon transport services for offshore energy operations and island logistics.

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On July 20, Zhongshan City released its “Low-Altitude Economy High-Quality Development Action Plan (2026-2028).”

The plan sets out the city’s strategic direction for developing the low-altitude economy, with phased targets running through 2028 and beyond.

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Across documents penalty provisions appear regularly.

But what do these penalties look like in real-world enforcement?

A recent case provides a concrete example. Two centrally administered state-owned enterprises were fined more than 13 million yuan for collusive bidding on a major civil aviation infrastructure project.

In the tendering context, Article 67, Paragraph 1 of the Regulations for the Implementation of the Tendering and Bidding Law of the People’s Republic of China (《中华人民共和国招标投标法实施条例》第六十七条第一款) reads —

“Where bidders collude with each other in tendering or collude with the tenderer in tendering, or where a bidder seeks to win the bid by bribing the tenderer or members of the bid evaluation committee, the winning bid shall be invalid, and a fine of not less than five per thousand and not more than ten per thousand of the amount of the winning project shall be imposed...”

The case below illustrates how the statutory penalty percentage is converted into actual financial penalties, alongside related operational restrictions and credit consequences.

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