Storyline: China opens first maritime freight route for ton-class eVTOL aircraft [Voice_over] China has opened its first maritime route which will be used not by sea-faring vessels but by electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The route starts in east China's Cangnan County and will service both nearby islands as well as offshore energy substations. To mark the launch of the route, an eVTOL flew 26 nautical miles to an offshore substation. The VP of the company that makes the aircraft, AutoFlight, said flying an eVTOL over a body of water presents new challenges. [Sound_bite] Sun Ming, Vice President, AutoFlight: "Flying over the sea actually places specific demands on aircraft, including wind resistance, as well as the ability to withstand high temperatures and corrosion in the unique marine environment. It took only about 18 to 20 minutes for the eVTOL aircraft to transport wind farm components, a tenfold increase in transport efficiency compared with shipping." [Voice_over] AutoFlight says the maritime route will also be used for island parcel deliveries and maritime patrols. According to data from China's Civil Aviation Administration, the market scale of the country's low-altitude economy is expected to be over 209 billion U.S. dollars by the end of the year. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]