Unmanned cargo aircraft completes landmark farm-to-city flight

A Chinese-developed unmanned electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft successfully completed its first inter-city cargo flight on Wednesday, transporting fresh agricultural products to the city of Hefei.

The 2-ton CarryAll V2000CG cargo aircraft, developed by Shanghai-based AutoFlight, is the world's first ton-class eVTOL certified for commercial operation by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The aircraft embarked on its pioneering journey from the National Blueberry Industrial Park in Huaining county in Anqing, Anhui province, carrying approximately 200 kilograms of blueberry juice and SF Express parcels and, after a smooth 161-kilometer flight lasting one hour, it landed near the Hefei Baida Zhougudui Agricultural Products Logistics Park in the provincial capital of Hefei. It was the world's first inter-city transport of agricultural products using a 2-ton class eVTOL for low-altitude unmanned logistics and represents a breakthrough in long-range, cross-city low-altitude logistics applications within China.

Huaining is the largest county-level blueberry cultivation area in the Yangtze River Delta, while the Zhougudui market is a major agricultural wholesale hub in Hefei. This new low-altitude unmanned transport method offers a 50 percent efficiency increase over traditional road transport, enabling direct and rapid delivery from rural areas to distribution centers.

The successful flight has effectively opened a main aerial logistics channel between the two cities and multiple surrounding counties. According to operators, it serves not only as a critical technological validation but also as an innovative practice in the collaborative management of inter-city low-altitude unmanned cargo transport.