EHANG Holdings Ltd., a global leader in urban air mobility technology, obtained a production certificate for its EH216-S passenger-carrying pilotless electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Guangzhou on Sunday.

The certificate, issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), is the world’s first production certificate granted in the eVTOL industry, which marks a pivotal step towards mass production of the eVTOL aircraft and subsequent commercial operations, according to the company.

Previously, the EH216-S had obtained the type certificate and standard airworthiness certificate from the CAAC.

The issuance of the production certificate underscores EHang’s commitment to establishing a robust mass production quality management system that aligns with the airworthiness regulatory requirements set forth by the CAAC. The system encompasses various aspects including raw materials, supplier management, production organization, quality control, pre-delivery testing, and after-sales maintenance, the company said.

The EH216-S has a maximum design speed of 130 kilometers per hour, a maximum range of 30 kilometers, and a maximum flight time of 25 minutes. EHang delivered a total of 52 EH216-S aircraft in 2023.

According to statistics from the CAAC, the size of China’s low-altitude economy exceeded 500 billion yuan (70.47 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023 and is expected to reach 2 trillion yuan by 2030.

(SD-Agencies)