- Ehang has received Air Operator Certificates for its EH216-S eVTOL, giving it regulatory green light for paid operations.
- Chinese consumers can purchase tickets for commercial flight services at designated operating locations.
Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) developer Ehang has received operating licenses for its aerial vehicle EH216-S, giving it regulatory green light for paid operations.
Ehang announced yesterday that its wholly-owned subsidiary Guangdong EHang General Aviation and its joint venture company Hefei HeYi Aviation have been awarded the first batch of Air Operator Certificates for civil human-carrying pilotless aerial vehicles by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
This marks the official start of the era of manned flight in China's low-altitude economy, and consumers can purchase tickets for low-altitude tourism, city tours and a variety of commercial manned flight services at the operating locations in Guangzhou and Hefei, the company said.
In the future, the operators will gradually expand to more scenarios such as urban commuting based on operational conditions legally and compliantly, Ehang said.
Ehang has become the world's first eVTOL company to receive a full set of regulatory certifications, marking an important step towards the commercialization and large-scale application of low-altitude manned flight services, it said in a press release.
This milestone represents the beginning of low-altitude operations in China, from zero to one, according to a research report by CITIC Securities today.
Ehang's eVTOL sightseeing flights are expected to accelerate expansion, bringing development opportunities to the industry chain related to it, according to CITIC Securities.
Ehang is one of the earliest eVTOL makers in China. The company announced on February 2, 2024, that the official guidance price of the EH216-S in China is RMB 2.39 million ($330,000).
The aircraft relies on power batteries to provide the energy required for flight, and its maximum takeoff weight is 650 kilograms.
In November last year, the Ehang EH216-S equipped with solid-state batteries successfully completed a single uninterrupted flight test, with a flight duration of 48 minutes and 10 seconds, as an exploration of the use of next-generation batteries.
On October 13, 2023, Ehang announced that the EH216-S had obtained the Type Certificate officially issued by the CAAC, and was qualified for commercial operation of human-carrying flights.
On December 21, 2023, the EH216-S obtained the Airworthiness Certificate and was delivered to the first batch of customers.
On April 7, 2024, the company obtained the EH216-S Production Certificate issued by the CAAC.
The latest development marks the fourth key permit obtained by Ehang.
($1 = RMB 7.2541)
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