GAC-Backed GOVY Partners with Dunhuang to Build Low-Altitude Air Tourism Hub

GAC-Backed GOVY Partners with Dunhuang to Build Low-Altitude Air Tourism Hub

TREE NEWS reports: On the morning of September 22, a GOVY AirCab lifted off from the plaza south of the Dunhuang Convention and Exhibition Center, completing a circular flight and hovering at an altitude of 30 to 50 meters. The scene—set against the Gobi Desert and morning light—marked the first public demonstration since Guangdong GOVY Technology Co., Ltd. signed an agreement with the city of Dunhuang to establish a low-altitude air tourism integration hub demonstration project.

GOVY is a low-altitude mobility technology company incubated by GAC Group, currently engaged in the research, development, manufacturing, and operation of flying vehicles. The significance of the flight demonstration goes beyond showing that the vehicle can fly. For GOVY, the Dunhuang project is already addressing a more concrete commercial question: once flying cars enter a cultural tourism destination, how can they evolve from a one-time experience into an operational system connecting scenic areas, cultural content, and consumer services?

A Three-Phase Roadmap

Dunhuang’s conditions provide the starting point for this exploration. Local attractions such as Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake, the Yardang Geological Park, and the Yangguan and Yumen Passes each have distinct characteristics and are spread across a large area. Tourists can enjoy the landscapes on the ground, but travel time between scenic spots creates application space for low-altitude shuttle services.

Ge Jing, deputy general manager of GAC GOVY, told reporters that Dunhuang possesses world-class cultural tourism resources, favorable airspace conditions, a global tourist base, and local government support for the low-altitude economy—factors that together led to the partnership. For low-altitude tourism, landscape resources determine the experience content, tourist volume supports service demand, and airspace and infrastructure form the foundation for operational implementation.

The two parties plan to advance the project in three phases: display and promotion, pilot operations, and scenic area networking. The initial phase will focus on static displays, flight demonstrations, and the creation of a ‘Flying Silk Road’ cultural tourism IP. This will be followed by flight operations in specific scenic areas, enriching sightseeing, cultural performances, and cultural creative consumption. As takeoff and landing points, meteorological networks, and airspace coordination are gradually improved, low-altitude shuttle services between multiple scenic areas will be promoted.

Operational Capability Building

Ge Jing stated that low-altitude flight is a systematic project, and manufacturing the vehicle is only one part of it. Once the vehicle enters actual scenarios, it requires support from takeoff and landing facilities, route design, meteorological services, safety operation standards, and scenic area service systems. GOVY’s work in Dunhuang will gradually extend from vehicle display to operational capability building.

Under the cooperation plan, GOVY will accumulate experience in scenic area takeoff and landing point planning, sightseeing route design, cultural tourism content integration, and safe operations, and form reusable operational modules. Low-altitude sightseeing can provide tourists with new perspectives, while inter-scenic area shuttles can incorporate the travel process into the tourism experience. The combination of flight experiences and cultural creative consumption will also extend the content of cultural tourism services.

Dunhuang’s natural environment provides a more targeted testing scenario for this model. High temperatures, large day-night temperature differences, sandstorms, and dust storms place higher demands on vehicle operations. Ge Jing said GOVY has conducted more than four months of summer testing in Gansu this year, experiencing high temperatures, sudden day-night temperature drops, sandstorms, and dust storms, with all relevant test outlines completed. The test results verified the product’s usability in Dunhuang’s harsh environment and provided support for subsequent safe operations and passenger experience.

Product Matrix and Market Implications

GOVY has formed a product matrix of AirCab, AirCar, and AirJet, covering low-altitude sightseeing, short-distance urban shuttles, and inter-city rapid travel scenarios. AirCab can serve short-distance sightseeing and close-range shuttles, while products designed for longer ranges can cover travel needs between more distant scenic areas. Taking destinations like Yardang as an example, ground transportation takes a long time. In the future, combinations of products with different ranges can supplement Dunhuang’s全域 tourism with new connection methods: tourists can complete low-altitude sightseeing within scenic areas and also obtain more experiential travel services between scenic areas.

From a single vehicle completing a display over the Gobi Desert to multiple scenic areas being connected by low-altitude routes, GOVY is building an operational sample of low-altitude cultural tourism in Dunhuang. This project advances vehicle manufacturing, low-altitude services, and cultural tourism resources in a coordinated manner within the same scenario, providing a more concrete commercial path for the low-altitude economy to enter more cultural tourism destinations.

Key Takeaways for Investors

• Low-altitude economy momentum: The partnership signals continued policy and commercial momentum for China’s low-altitude economy, a sector increasingly prioritized in national and local development plans.
• GAC Group’s diversification: As the incubator, GAC Group gains exposure to a high-growth mobility segment beyond traditional automaking, potentially enhancing its long-term valuation narrative.
• Infrastructure and services opportunity: The project highlights demand for takeoff/landing infrastructure, meteorological services, airspace coordination, and safety standards—areas where specialized suppliers could benefit.
• Tourism sector innovation: Successful integration of low-altitude mobility into cultural tourism could create a replicable model, driving premium tourism offerings and new revenue streams for scenic area operators.
• Regulatory watch: Progress will depend on airspace management reforms and safety certification, making regulatory developments a key variable for investors to monitor.