Thanks to Interesting Engineering for this:
China has taken a major step toward commercial flying taxi services by issuing its first permits for autonomous passenger drones.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAS) has granted air operator certificates to EHang Holdings in Guangdong Province and its subsidiary Heyi Aviation in Hefei, Anhui Province, allowing them to conduct unmanned passenger flights, reports Chinese news outlets.
“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,” said a statement from EHang.
In November 2024, EHang completed the world’s first test flight of a pilotless, passenger-carrying electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) powered by a solid-state battery.
Flying cabs begin
The new approval marks the final step in a series of regulatory approvals required to launch commercial services. It now allows the firms to operate unmanned passenger flights.
The Air Operator Certificates (OCs) follow prior approvals for production and airworthiness, aligning with China’s push to expand low-altitude aviation technologies, including drones and blimps.
The newly certified flying taxis will initially operate on short-distance tourism routes before expanding to broader networks. Although the aircraft are autonomous, companies must adhere to strict safety, maintenance, and operational standards, reports Newsweek.
EHang’s application review began in July 2024, marking the start of CAAC’s assessment of domestic air vehicle production licenses. The approval highlights China’s commitment to developing its “low-altitude economy,” one of the country’s fastest-growing sectors.
According to research group Hurun, the industry is projected to be worth 1.5 trillion yuan (US$207 billion) by 2025, with expectations of nearly doubling by 2035. As China continues investing in this sector, autonomous passenger drones could become a key component of urban transportation, offering a glimpse into the future of air mobility.
Autonomous flights expand
The EH216-S eVTOL aircraft, central to China’s new autonomous flying taxi services, has been in development for over six years. It first flew in the US in 2020.
EH216-S received Chinese certification in October 2023 and approval for series production in April 2024, making it the first type certificate for an unmanned eVTOL in history. The type certificate allows operators to carry out commercial passenger-carrying unmanned ariel vehicle (UAV) operations.
In November 2024, Saudi Arabia initiated the trial of EHang’s first autonomous air taxi flight service to transport Hajj pilgrims.
The two-passenger air taxi features a carbon-fiber-composite fuselage with eight arms, each fitted with two coaxial propellers, totaling 16. The pilotless aircraft follows preset routes, relying on 5G connectivity for communication with a command center.
