A helicopter flies along the low-altitude flight route linking Qingdao's downtown area and Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport on Dec 15. [Photo/Dazhong News]

A low-altitude air shuttle was launched in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Dec 15, marking Qingdao as the first city in the north to establish an intra-city, low-altitude shuttle route.

At the scene, two Bell 407 helicopters carrying nine passengers took off from the Qingdao Metro Line 4 Dengying Vehicle Base and flew along the designated route to Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport. After covering 51 kilometers in 15 minutes, the helicopters arrived at Qingdao airport.

The Qingdao low-altitude air shuttle is a new urban low-altitude transportation connection that enables fast linkage between Qingdao's intra-city take-off and landing points and Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport.

"After the opening of the low-altitude air shuttle service, the commuting time from Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport to downtown Qingdao will be reduced from 50 minutes to around 20 minutes," said Zhang Jun, Party secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Qingdao Metro Group. This shuttle reduces travel time and provides a better experience.

Chief expert Chen Hongshun of the Qingdao Metro Group stated that the launch of the Qingdao low-altitude express air route signifies not only the opening of a new air route but also the deep integration of low-altitude economy with traditional aviation, tourism, logistics, and other industries. The Qingdao Metro Group is planning other routes for urban commuting, tourism, short-distance connections, and cross-sea flights to achieve point-to-point connections within the city and inter-city flights between suburban areas and across cities.