Urban air mobility technology platform company EHang Holdings Ltd has set a new milestone in the UAE. Its pilotless electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft EH216-S has successfully completed the first passenger-carrying demo flight in Abu Dhabi.
Additionally, the EH216-F (for high-rise firefighting) and EH216-L (for aerial logistics) demonstrated their debut flights as well. This helped showcase the diverse range of use-case scenarios of pilotless eVTOL aircraft.
Several air taxi flights performed
The EH216 series pilotless eVTOL aircraft (including EH216-S, EH216-L and EH216-F) performed several autonomous flights at the Emirates Falcons Aviation Club in Al Ali, Abu Dhabi, with the approval by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the UAE. Mohamed Al Dhaheri, board member of Multi Level Group (MLG), EHang’s local strategic partner, took a ride on the EH216-S.
Sky's never the limit, and air mobility is closer than you think. Just 10 days after Abu Dhabi's inaugural flight, the world’s first certified #EH216-S pilotless eVTOL proudly completed the UAE's first-ever passenger-carrying air taxi flight in Al Ain.
As more flights take to… pic.twitter.com/stfOlo8zyV
— EHang (@ehang) May 7, 2024
The EH216 series air taxis are designed as a transformative solution in addressing urban mobility challenges such as emissions and congestion. The pilotless eVTOL aircraft feature a compact fuselage, high redundancy design and intelligent cluster management. Hence, this enables safety and efficiency as well as scalable operations, in order to provide safe, autonomous and eco-friendly air mobility.
Earlier, the EH216-S showcased debut unmanned demo flights at the DRIFTx event on April 25, 2024.
EHang joins SAVI
EHang expanded into the UAE by joining the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) Cluster. It formed a strategic partnership with Wings Logistics Hub in December 2023. It further entered into a strategic collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and MLG in April 2024 to drive eVTOL development in the UAE.
Read: Ras Al Khaimah to get air taxis by 2027
Mohamed Al Dhaheri, board member of MLG, said after his flight: “Being part of this historic moment is truly exhilarating. The seamless integration of technology and aviation represents a significant leap forward for our nation, and as an Emirati I am proud to be a part of it.”
Huazhi Hu, founder, CEO, and chairman of EHang, said: “After securing the approval for passenger-carrying demo flights and conducting the debut flight, we will actively foster collaboration and communication between the GCAA and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Therefore, this will expedite the progress towards commercial flights of our pilotless aircraft in the UAE, which will become a milestone in the advancement of Abu Dhabi and the global air mobility sector. With strong local government support and valued partnerships, EHang is poised to continue leading the change of UAM in the UAE and beyond.”
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