Chinese Government Signals Acceleration of Plans for Urban Air Mobility

The Chinese government this week signaled its intention to step up the adoption of urban air mobility (UAM) operations. In a November 30 statement, the General Office of the State Council said it is bringing UAM development into China’s National Strategies “to formulate relevant policies and standards to promote the healthy development of the industry.”

According to the announcement, these anticipated policies and standards will provide the regulatory foundation that the government says “should pave the way for China to become the world’s largest UAM market. In particular, the document calls for a speeding up of the legislative process to establish regulations covering the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles for early applications such as fire-fighting and various industrial activities.

China-based eVTOL aircraft developer EHang seized on the announcement, which is described as a circular, as a tacit endorsement of its plans to expand operations with its two-seat 216 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle. Claiming to be the only company currently authorized by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to seek airworthiness approval for new aircraft intended for UAM applications, EHang indicated that the new policy will help it to progress beyond the trial operations now being conducted in several locations.

“We will seize this opportunity to strengthen our leadership in technologies and innovations based on the national policy and strive to assist regulators in establishing relevant regulations and standards,” commented EHang founder, chairman, and CEO Huazhi Hu.

However, the State Council’s circular does not include a specific timeline for introducing complete requirements for airworthiness approval, type certification, and operational regulations. It also provides no indication as to when or how companies other than EHang will be permitted to advance competing plans for UAM service.

The General Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China is an administrative agency that supports the country's political leadership in the day-to-day implementation of public policy. The State Council is effectively the main administrative authority for the executive branch of the Chinese government, with the other branches being the Communist Party of China and the People's Liberation Army. It is chaired by the Chinese Prime Minister and also includes cabinet-level leaders from the main departments of government. 

Earlier this year, CAAC announced China’s first Unmanned Civil Aviation Zones, which have provided some structure for initial eVTOL aircraft flight trials. The accompanying guidance issued proposed so-called “convenient channels” to support arrangements for “airworthiness, operation, air traffic control, and business licensing.”

Separately, during November, EHang conducted public flight demonstrations of the 216 AAV at three locations in South Korea: Seoul, Daegu, and Jeju. These were permitted under a Special Certificate of Airworthiness issued by Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.

A company spokesman told FutureFlight that EHang has now conducted trial and demonstration flights in 37 cities across eight countries. Apart from China and Korea, these include the U.S., Austria, the Netherlands, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada. EHang is also preparing to start trial operations in Norway.