Wencheng County Transportation Development Group in China’s Zhejiang province has taken delivery of 27 of the initial batch of 30 EH216-S eVTOL aircraft it is buying from EHang. This week, the Chinese manufacturer reported that it conducted the first passenger-carrying flight with its latest customer to mark the launch of a new tourism initiative based near the port city of Wenzhou on the East China Sea coast.
Like many of EHang’s eVTOL demonstrations at various locations across China, the flight was conducted under a temporary license granted by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which has not yet issued operating certificates for the new mode of transportation. EHang said it is working with the agency to develop operating standards for the two-seat, fully autonomous EH216-S. Once the CAAC releases the requirements, operators will be able to apply for the certificates to permit commercial operations.
As with the earlier flights in cities such as Shenzhen, those conducted in Wencheng last week did not involve ticket sales and therefore were not commercial operations. The company said an invited audience was able to see how aerial sightseeing operations will be conducted using vertiports and other urban air mobility infrastructure.
During the event, multiple passengers were taken on low-altitude rides over the Tianding and Feiyun lakes, as well as the Baizhangji Waterfall. EHang and Wencheng County Transportation Development Group have developed an operating base for the eVTOL services at a resort complex. EHang said it has received full payment for the first 30 EH216-S vehicles from the local government-backed company.
According to Zhaozheng Luo, secretary of the Wencheng County government, the district—with a population of around 250,000 people—views eVTOL air services as a key aspect of its economic development. “By achieving these goals, Wencheng aims to become a demonstration county for high-quality low-altitude economic development, contributing to Wenzhou’s goal of reaching a GDP of over RMB 1 trillion [$137.6 billion] and a population of over 10 million and Zhejiang’s vision of becoming a pioneering civil aviation province,” he commented.