China’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVOTL) company AutoFlight is achieving global milestones and is already ahead of competitors because of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) being “quite supportive” of the new industry.

The eVTOL aircraft market is forecast to be big business. Analysis carried out by finance company Morgan Stanley estimates the market could be worth $1.5tn a year by 2040.

Air mobility technologies such as eVTOL offer benefits for many sectors, from faster commutes in cities and improved logistics to use in agriculture and security operations.

While there are a number of companies working on eVTOL solutions – indeed, the UK’s first vertiport testbed for developing next-generation eVTOLs was recently launched at a 444-acre estate in Oxfordshire – these solutions are struggling to get past the testing stages into operation because of stringent regulations and safety rules.

Aware of this issue, the UK government recently launched the Future of Flight...