The first cross-border low-altitude flight route between Guangzhou and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region officially started operation on Thursday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The first cross-border low-altitude flight route between Guangzhou and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region officially started operation after an inaugural ceremony in Guangdong provincial capital Guangzhou on Thursday morning.

The route operated by China Southern Airlines General Aviation Company Ltd uses Sikorsky S92 helicopter model, which is capable of carrying 19 passengers and two crew members. 

The journey takes only 40 minutes from Guangzhou to Hong Kong International Airport, greatly improving the travel efficiency of passengers and further strengthening the interaction between major cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to a statement released by China Southern Airlines General Aviation Company Ltd on Thursday.

And it takes passengers only about five minutes to complete border and customs inspection procedure to board the helicopter, said the statement. 

Currently, it takes at least three hours for people to complete their journey between Guangzhou and Hong Kong by land, including driving and going through entry-exit and related customs procedures, said the statement.

China Southern Airlines General Aviation Company Ltd will gradually open other inter-city or cross-border low-altitude flight routes and further expand the application scenarios of low-altitude logistics transportation to promote the high-quality development of low-altitude economy in the GBA in the following months, it said.