Air mobility expo sees debut of 23 international and 42 domestic products

The four-day International Advanced Air Mobility Expo 2026 in Shanghai has become a platform for industrial debuts, including the global debut of 23 products and 42 domestic launches of 42 goods.

In total, 452 exhibitors from China and abroad attended the event, which ran from July 22 through July 25 and covered 60,000 square meters this year.

The expo showcased China's growing low-altitude economy ecosystem and technological progress, as well as presented new opportunities for industry players from China and abroad, industry experts said.

"Compared with last year, more industry peers have joined the expo. Another difference is more exhibitors have brought aircraft to their booths this year, showing strong enthusiasm for the low-altitude industry," Xie Ling, founder and CEO of Shanghai Vertaxi Aviation Technology Co Ltd, an air mobility firm, said.

The company officially debuted its self-developed air ambulance demonstration aircraft M1 Air Ambulance, a manned electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, at the expo. The aircraft, a collaborative exploration of low-altitude medical applications with Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, is set to overcome the limitations of ground-based rescue and establish an efficient aerial emergency medical transport channel.

With merely 15 percent operating cost of conventional helicopters, the eVTOL option is expected to bring down the cost of low-altitude emergency medical flights to the thousand-yuan level in the future. In the meantime, it will also shorten an up to 100-minute road trip to about 15 minutes by air.

During the expo, more than 80 professional forums and public engagement activities were held, while 570 aircraft and models were displayed, aiming to create a comprehensive industry platform integrating technology displays, ecosystem partnerships and public education.

Jointly incubated by Sino Jet Group and T-Capital Group, Efly Mobility, a Beijing-based low-altitude transportation brand, was officially unveiled on July 22 during the expo.

The brand positions itself as a full-service provider for low-altitude mobility. Focusing on safety first, connected networks, ecosystem development and scenario implementation, it looks to build a standardized, full-chain low-altitude service system.

"We bring the highest safety standards from business aviation to every part of low-altitude mobility. As the industry moves from policy support toward commercial applications, we aim to help the low-altitude economy move beyond scattered pilot projects and enter a new stage of systematic, commercial and regulated development," Li Yuanfeng, president of Sino Jet Group and chair of Efly Mobility, said.

Leveraging its safety operations, network coverage, ecosystem resources and partnership experience, Efly unveiled its low-altitude co-building partner program at the expo, which seeks to develop a scalable operating model for low-altitude services by connecting investment, infrastructure and application scenarios.

Whitesky Group, Indonesia's largest helicopter operator, took part at the expo for the first time. Denon Prawiraatmadja, founder and CEO of the company, believed that China's advanced technologies and cost-effective products could benefit Indonesia while creating new business opportunities.

"Indonesia and China have a long history of business cooperation, with some transportation projects in Indonesia already benefiting from Chinese companies' expertise. As an archipelagic country consisting of more than 17,000 islands and home to over 270 million people, Indonesia sees great potential to expand bilateral cooperation into urban air mobility," Prawiraatmadja said.

According to him, China has more advanced technologies and more affordable products, and he hoped these innovations can benefit Indonesian society, support economic development in the region, and contribute to a greener economy with near-zero carbon emissions in the future.

"We hope this cooperation can build a long-lasting partnership and contribute to Indonesia's economic growth," Prawiraatmadja added.

Including Whitesky, Chinese and overseas companies signed procurement orders for 260 aircraft with Shanghai-based Volant Aerotech on the first day of the expo, while reaching multiple supply chain cooperation agreements.

"China's low-altitude economy is now entering a critical stage of airworthiness certification and large-scale delivery. We will continue to focus on technological innovation, ecosystem development and global expansion," Dong Ming, founder and CEO of Shanghai-based Volant Aerotech, said.

"I have always believed that the growth of the low-altitude industry will not come from breakthroughs by individual companies, but from coordinated development across the entire value chain," Dong stressed.

Dong's view echoes the theme of this year's expo, which aims to connect the entire industrial chain, from aircraft manufacturing and core components to infrastructure, safety and industry services.

The expo also witnessed the official launch of the Shanghai low-altitude airworthiness technology platform, according to Shanghai Low-Altitude Economy Industry Development Co Ltd, a company jointly owned by six State-owned enterprises in Shanghai.

With its focus on building an airworthiness capability system, the platform is tasked with integrating high-quality industry resources across the Yangtze River Delta region, improving technical services and industry support, promoting collaborative innovation across the industry chain, and therefore offering strong support for the region's high-quality development of the low-altitude economy.

The event attracted 452 companies and institutions covering sectors including eVTOL aircraft, UAVs, energy systems, avionics, advanced materials, low-altitude security, financial services and industrial parks.