Trial Air Logistics Services Using the EHang 216 Starting Soon

EHang has obtained the world’s first commercial pilot operation approval to use passenger-grade autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs) for the purpose of air logistics. The approval came from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), and is for the EHang 216 AAV.

EHang has also become the first AAV company approved by a national aviation authority to conduct commercial pilot operation for the category of 150 kilogram-plus heavy-lift air logistics uses.

“We are thrilled that the CAAC and EHang took the lead on the world’s first commercial pilot operation approval of passenger-grade AAVs for air logistics uses. This approval is of great significance,” says EHang Founder, Chairman and CEO Hu Huazhi.

“For EHang, it enables us to enhance our first-mover advantage and accelerate the commercialization of AAV technology and air mobility solutions for logistics. It also lays a foundation for regulators around the world to jointly explore and establish a coordinated, supportive and sustainable regulatory environment. This will benefit the long-term development of the promising Urban Air Mobility (“UAM”) applications.”

The approval was granted based on the Pilot Operation Rules (Interim) for Specific Unmanned Aircraft, which was enacted in Feb. 2019 by CAAC for different categories of specific UAS including passenger-grade AAVs. According to EHang, the CAAC applied the Specific Operation Risk Assessment (SORA) framework of the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking of Unmanned Systems (JARUS) to this regulation. JARUS, EHang notes, is a group of experts from the national aviation authorities of 61 countries, including China and the U.S., and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and EUROCONTROL.

With this approval, trial air logistics services using the EHang 216 would be conducted to transport cargo between ground and hilltop and between shore and islands at a customer site in Taizhou, with plans to gradually expand the service to other sites in China as it accumulates operational data and experience.

EHang says that its accumulated flight trials and tests contributed “significant practical experience” to the CAAC to further develop and evolve regulations and standards related to passenger-grade AAVs.

“I am pleased to see the fast development that EHang has achieved in China and globally, and that the flight test program of its passenger-grade AAVs were successfully verified by the CAAC to be granted with this approval,” says CAAC Deputy Administrator Li Jian.

“It can be a safe and efficient solution to transport cargo.”

FMI: https://ehang.com