GUANGZHOU, China - A crop of American aircraft manufacturers has poured billions of dollars in venture capital into a design they believe will fundamentally change the way people move through cities: the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi. As soon as this year, the aircraft could begin flying passengers in cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. But the first eVTOL to carry paying customers will debut in China, Jack Daleo writes for Flying. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
3 April 2025 - EHang, an urban air mobility (UAM) company based in Guangzhou, China, announced that its subsidiary, Guangdong EHang General Aviation, and its joint venture, Hefei HeYi Aviation, have received China’s first Air Operator Certificates (OCs) for pilotless human-carrying aerial vehicles from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
This milestone officially launches China’s era of low-altitude human-carrying flights, allowing consumers to book tickets for urban sightseeing, tourism, and other commercial air mobility services in Guangzhou and Hefei. Future expansion into urban commuting and additional use cases will follow based on regulatory conditions.
EHang has already achieved key certifications, including the world’s first type certificate, airworthiness certificate, and production certificate for autonomous eVTOL aircraft. With the newly granted OC, EHang says it became the first eVTOL company globally to hold a complete set of regulatory approvals.
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Jamie Whitney, Senior Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
