AutoFlight Aviation Technology, a developer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, has introduced a Water-based Green Vertiport and an integrated sea-air mobility system, designed to extend eVTOL operations over waterways.
The initiative aims to address infrastructure challenges such as limited site availability and slow deployment for low-altitude transport.
The Water-based Green Vertiport is a mobile facility that combines eVTOL landing pads with photovoltaic energy storage, charging systems, and an intelligent dispatch system. It is intended for deployment across rivers, lakes, and coastal waters, providing a flexible hub for take-off, landing, charging, and operational coordination.
The vertiport accommodates AutoFlight’s eVTOL models, including the industrial-grade White Shark, the 2-ton cargo aircraft CarryAll, and the six-seat passenger aircraft Prosperity.
AutoFlight highlights five primary applications for the system:
- Marine Energy Platform Maintenance: Transport of personnel and components to offshore installations
- Emergency Response: Rapid deployment for search and rescue operations, potentially reducing response times and expanding coverage
- High-Frequency Commuting: Short-range passenger transport across coastal or urban waterways
- Marine-Aerial Tourism: Development of new tourism experiences combining flight and water access
- Mobile Vertiport Clusters: Networked vertiports to support larger-scale, multi-mission operations
The system has been developed in partnership with battery manufacturer CATL, integrating electric power systems into both the eVTOLs and vertiports.
A public demonstration took place at Dianshan Lake in Kunshan on 22 November. A 2-ton-class eVTOL aircraft conducted take-off and landing operations on the vertiport. Additional exercises included formation flights of three eVTOLs and live airdrop operations, showcasing potential applications in logistics and emergency response.
