China’s EHang has secured its first air operator’s certificates (AOC) for its EH216-S electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The “first batch of AOCs” were awarded to the USA-listed eVTOL company’s Guangdong EHang General Aviation unit, and its joint venture in Hefei, Hefei HeYi Aviation, says EHang.
“This milestone officially marks the launch of China’s human-carrying flight era in the low-altitude economy, allowing citizens and consumers to purchase flight tickets for low-altitude tourism, urban sightseeing, and diverse commercial human-carrying flight services at related operation sites in Guangzhou and Hefei,” says EHang.
China has taken a different approach to the eVTOL market than the west, with an emphasis on fully automated aircraft, dispensing altogether with a pilot.
EHang has previously said that that an early application for eVTOL aircraft will be tourism flights on fixed routes. Over time, it anticipates wider adoption in urban areas for a range of missions.
