{"id":6853,"date":"2026-01-21T16:53:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/?p=6853"},"modified":"2026-01-21T16:53:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:53:45","slug":"futuristic-travel-has-no-time-for-squares","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/zh-hans\/%e7%bd%91%e8%aa%8c\/futuristic-travel-has-no-time-for-squares\/","title":{"rendered":"Futuristic travel has no time for squares"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dear Friends and Colleagues<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hong Kong, 21 January 2026:<\/strong> Stroll amid the high-rise blocks of Lok Fu and a strange sight looms into view: a huge concrete-covered slope<\/a>, almost 100m tall, painted with red and white squares. It is Checkerboard Hill, for decades a visual guide for pilots making the notoriously difficult landing at Kai Tak airport. Spot the marker, bank right, avoid the buildings and line up the runway. A hair-raising experience for passengers \u2013 including, many times, this writer \u2013 before the airport closed in 1998.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once faded and overgrown, Checkerboard Hill has since been lovingly restored by the authorities as a monument to a bygone age. A magnet for nostalgia buffs, curious tourists and relaxing residents alike, its grassy peak offers a spectacular view of Kowloon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now, we\u2019re going back to the future, for passengers will soon be landing in downtown Hong Kong again. Except there will be no visual markers, runways or even pilots. Welcome to the Drone Age, my friends, full of geek-speak about UAM (urban air mobility), UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft). Soon, Hong Kong\u2019s skies will be full of pilotless vessels ferrying food deliveries, cargo, medical supplies and \u2013 gulp \u2013 people around the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When, exactly? Trials for passenger drones<\/a> could begin \u201cin two to three years\u201d, opines deputy director general of civil aviation Dominic Chow. Time-saving travel around the Greater Bay Area (the huge economic hub comprising Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong province) offers massive potential. \u201cWe are promoting not only cross-boundary flights, but also the required coordination between both sides for standard-setting and technological innovation,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kellen Tse, senior vice president of Mainland flying taxi developer AutoFlight, shares his confidence. \u201cIn 10 years\u2019 time and in Hong Kong alone, perhaps thousands of eVTOLs will be flying,\u201d he predicts. His firm has completed the world\u2019s first two-ton eVTOL cargo shipment, delivering essential supplies<\/a> to an offshore oil platform in the South China Sea in just 58 minutes. A sea-going vessel would take 10 hours. Mainland rival EHang, meanwhile, is conducting pilotless trips for tourists in Guangzhou and Hefei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the potential? Think tank Our Hong Kong Foundation predicts this city\u2019s low-altitude economy could generate US$45 billion in added value by 2050. We have just hosted Airspace Asia Pacific 2025<\/a>, a conference organised by CANSO, the global body for air traffic management. Its president Simon Hocquard envisages \u201cphenomenal growth\u201d in low-altitude business across Asia Pacific with Hong Kong potentially a role model for the rest of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next door, Shenzhen already has more than 1,000 vertiports \u2013 eVTOL take-off and landing platforms \u2013 while Guangdong is home to 15,000 low-altitude industry chain enterprises, 30% of China’s total. Chinese firms are not the only pioneers in this market, of course, eVTOL development is a global air race. US firms such as Wisk Aero, Joby Aviation and Elroy Air are major players, while some EU nations have government-backed programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, there\u2019s an elephant in the eVTOL: public trust. Would you hop on board an unmanned flying machine? As renowned aviation historian Dan Bubb points out, the bar for safety is \u2013 erm \u2013 sky high. Even minor setbacks will put off the public. At Silicon Valley\u2019s Wisk Aero, design chief Uri Tzarnotzky is adamant about safety<\/a>. He points out that 90% of a passenger jet flight is automated. \u201cSimilarly, we\u2019re flying a pre-programmed route,\u201d he reasons, assuring us that \u201cmulti-vehicle supervisors\u201d on the ground can intervene in the unlikely event of a problem. Hmm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hong Kong, it appears, is forging ahead regardless. It has unveiled a blueprint for a massive new logistics hub<\/a> \u2013 with a zone reserved for freight forwarding and low-altitude economy firms \u2013 close to the Mainland border. Aridge, the affiliate of Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng, is reportedly planning<\/a> to be the first Mainland eVTOL maker to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Transport secretary Mable Chan confirms a cross-border action plan to integrate manned and unmanned aviation is underway. \u201cHong Kong is mobilising capital and risk management solutions for the entire industry,\u201d she promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IPOs, stocks and the regulatory landscape \u2013 this brings me to the sad passing of fearless activist investor and champion of corporate governance David Webb, aged 60, after a lengthy illness. News outlets at home<\/a> and abroad<\/a> offer glowing tributes to his integrity, courage and candour in his relentless pursuit of transparency and justice across our financial sector. David had made Hong Kong his home since 1991 and I was privileged to meet him on many occasions. May he rest in peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cut from similar cloth is Neil Kaplan KC, widely regarded as \u201cthe father of Hong Kong arbitration\u201d. Neil is my latest guest on Law & More<\/em>, reflecting on his distinguished legal career spanning six decades, having first arrived here in 1980 to serve in the pre-handover Attorney General\u2019s Chambers. He speaks with marked humility and considerable authority. Please listen<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having devoted much of this column to flying taxis, I should point out in closing that our troublesome road-going ones continue to make news. The much ballyhooed roll-out of premium taxi fleets \u2013 aimed at addressing long-standing complaints about bad behaviour by cabbies \u2013 has slowed to a crawl<\/a>, with only 1,300 such vehicles, just a third of the government\u2019s target, hitting the streets thus far. Stakeholders blame low earnings, a lack of charging facilities and (of course) competition from ride-hailing services for the disappointing numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s hope our eVTOL passengers fare better. In looking to the future, there\u2019s no denying our current taxi industry has \u2013 rather like that hill in Lok Fu \u2013 a somewhat chequered history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until next time, everybody!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colin Cohen<\/strong>
Senior Partner<\/strong>
Boase Cohen & Collins<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear Friends and Colleagues Hong Kong, 21 January 2026: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6850,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-54"],"yoast_head":"\nFuturistic travel has no time for squares - \u5e03\u9ad8\u6c5f\u5f8b\u5e08\u884c<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/zh-hans\/%e7%bd%91%e8%aa%8c\/futuristic-travel-has-no-time-for-squares\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"zh_CN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Futuristic travel has no time for squares - \u5e03\u9ad8\u6c5f\u5f8b\u5e08\u884c\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dear Friends and Colleagues Hong Kong, 21 January 2026: […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/zh-hans\/%e7%bd%91%e8%aa%8c\/futuristic-travel-has-no-time-for-squares\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u5e03\u9ad8\u6c5f\u5f8b\u5e08\u884c\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-21T08:53:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-21T08:53:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/HUNDRED61cov_PHOTO2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1832\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"872\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Niall Donnelly\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"\u4f5c\u8005\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Niall Donnelly\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"\u9884\u8ba1\u9605\u8bfb\u65f6\u95f4\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 \u5206\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/zh-hans\/%e7%bd%91%e8%aa%8c\/futuristic-travel-has-no-time-for-squares\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/zh-hans\/%e7%bd%91%e8%aa%8c\/futuristic-travel-has-no-time-for-squares\/\",\"name\":\"Futuristic travel has no time for squares - 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