Geely-backed AEROFUGIA rolls out first large passenger-carrying eVTOL

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On September 29, AEROFUGIA, the general aviation enterprise under the Geely Technology Group, rolled out the first AE200-100, a large passenger electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, at its Chengdu facility, according to a post on the company's WeChat account.

The milestone marks the completion of fuselage assembly and installation of key onboard systems, bringing the aircraft to a stage where it can soon begin manned flight testing. According to the company, the achievement represents a new milestone for China's large-scale passenger eVTOL development and signals AEROFUGIA's transition into full-scale certification efforts and pre-production.

The company said its next phase will focus on rigorous system testing, flight verification, and compliance reviews under the guidance of aviation regulators and local authorities. These steps are designed to refine the aircraft's performance and prepare the AE200 for airworthiness certification and eventual mass production.

AEROFUGIA also revealed that it has secured commitments for around 1,000 units of the AE200, with production capacity for the first year already being allocated. Orders have come from across China's key economic regions, including the Chengdu–Chongqing economic circle, the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei area.

The AE200 has been designed with three major advantages. First, it offers a range of 200 kilometers, enabling it to serve a variety of use cases such as intercity travel, airport shuttles, scenic flights, low-altitude tourism, and emergency rescue. Second, its all-electric propulsion system significantly reduces operating costs compared to helicopters of similar size, providing a stronger foundation for commercial viability. Finally, the AE200 is the first eVTOL in China—and the second globally—to successfully complete full tilt-rotor transition flight tests, keeping it ahead of most competitors in the certification process.

Meanwhile, construction of AEROFUGIA's global headquarters and production base in Chengdu's Future Science and Technology City has reached structural topping-out. The site is scheduled to begin operations in 2026, and will integrate R&D, manufacturing, testing, and delivery functions. Once completed, it will significantly expand production capacity and efficiency for the AE200 and future aircraft models.