AI Digest Pending…
On May 8, 2025, WEFLY Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. held a grand ceremony for the final assembly rollout of the W280, the world's first forward-developed full-scale 5-seat manned eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) tailored for mega-city clusters. The debut of the W280 marks a critical milestone in China's Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) commercialization journey, offering a groundbreaking three-dimensional solution to urban transportation challenges in hyper-dense metropolitan regions.
Custom-designed for mega-city clusters such as the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and global counterparts, the W280 is a 5-seat eVTOL featuring a compound wing configuration. With a maximum takeoff weight of 2.8 tons, a top speed of 80 km/h, and a range of 280 km, the aircraft employs a full composite structure, pure electric propulsion, and highly integrated automated flight control systems with advanced avionics. Capable of runway-free operations between buildings in most weather conditions, its noise suppression technology ensures cruise noise levels below 50 dB, achieving "disturbance-free urban air mobility."
On April 18, 2025, WEFLY announced that its prototype airframe had completed over 50 successful flight tests at the Shengze Lake Unmanned Systems Demonstration Island in Suzhou. These tests comprehensively validated the coupling between the 2-ton eVTOL's powertrain and structural integrity, verified the overall efficiency of lift motors and propeller systems, and optimized flight control stability. The trials also refined pilot remote interfaces through real-time feedback adjustments to enhance control logic and precision, while successfully addressing complex environmental factors such as vibration, localized turbulence, and strong crosswinds. The multi-redundant feedback signal design demonstrated exceptional fault tolerance and operational reliability.
Established in Suzhou in May 2022, WEFLY brings together a team with extensive experience in the design, manufacturing, flight testing, airworthiness certification, and operation of advanced large-scale civil passenger aircraft in both global and Chinese markets. The company envisions creating a new aerial mobility platform for intra- and inter-city travel, adding a transformative dimension to daily transportation and fundamentally reshaping modern lifestyles.
