Chinese manufacturer of flying taxis EHang has moved a step closer to launching commercial flights on the mainland after China’s regulator, the Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC), accepted the company’s application for an air operator certificate.
Located in CantonEHang, the capital of southern Guangdong province, said in a statement on Monday that the CAAC has started assessing its application for a license to provide domestic air transport services.
“We are … one step closer to realizing our goal of commercially operating unmanned passenger aircraft, which is the final step for urban air mobility entering the consumer market,” said EHang Founder, Chairman and CEO Hu Huazhi according to the statement.
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Hu said EHang is working closely with the CAAC to establish a new operating system for unmanned aerial vehicles, and that the formal acceptance of the world’s first such application for an operator certificate has important implications for the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) industry.
Chinese flying taxi manufacturer EHang is now in the final stages of a lengthy regulatory process to launch its urban air mobility service in the mainland. Photo: Shutterstock alt=Chinese flying taxi manufacturer EHang is now in the final stages of a lengthy regulatory process to launch its urban air mobility service in the mainland. Photo: Shutterstock>
The CAAC launched EHang’s earlier this year EH216-S the country’s first production certificate for a passenger-carrying eVTOL aircraft. The same unmanned aircraft received its type and standard airworthiness certificates – both required for commercial operations – from the CAAC last year.
Nasdaq-listed EHang’s successful certification initiatives mark a breakthrough in mainland China’s multifaceted effort to become the national market leader economy at low altitudecovering a wide range of industries related to manned and unmanned eVTOL aircraft flying below 1,000 meters altitude.
While the CAAC assessment process could still take some time, this latest certification process for EHang reflects the potential of flying taxis in the domestic market as Beijing supports the economy at low altitude.
Recognized as a strategic emerging industry in determining the tone central economic working conference In December, the economy saw heavy investment and policy support from Beijing at a low level – in a similar way to the country’s economy electric vehicle sector.
In March, EHang puts its EH216-S up for sale at a unit price of 2.39 million yuan (US$332,000) e-commerce huge Alibaba Group Holding‘s primary domestic retail platform TaobaoAlibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
EHang announced the month before that the EH216-S would be sold outside the mainland from April 1 for a suggested retail price of US$410,000.
According to EHang, the EH216-S’s autonomous flight capabilities, all-electric propulsion, extensive redundant safety features, and intelligent command and control systems make it an ideal solution for a variety of urban air mobility applications, including air taxi services, air tourism, airport shuttles, and inter-island transportation.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP)the most authoritative voice covering China and Asia for over a century. For more SCMP stories, explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP’s Facebook And Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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