EHang’s EH216-S Pilotless eVTOL Completes Debut Flight in Downtown Shanghai, World-Class Central City is Set to Embrace Air Taxi Transportation

Rhea-AI Summary

EHang Holdings (Nasdaq: EH) announced the successful debut demonstration flight of its EH216-S pilotless passenger-carrying eVTOL in downtown Shanghai, specifically at Longhua Airport. The flight marks the launch of regular trial operations for eVTOL sightseeing routes along the Huangpu River, preparing for future commercial operations.

The company has delivered EH216-S aircraft to Shanghai Hynfar Aviation, which will partner with EHang and New Margin Eastwood Fund to develop various low-altitude economy operational scenarios across Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta G60 Science and Innovation Corridor.

This initiative aligns with Shanghai's Action Plan for High-Quality Development of Low-Altitude Economy Industry (2024-2027), which aims to achieve an industry scale exceeding RMB50 billion by 2027 and implement over 100 low-altitude flight service applications in various commercial scenarios.

Positive

• First pilotless passenger-carrying eVTOL to obtain Type Certificate, Production Certificate, and Standard Airworthiness Certificate from CAAC
• Successfully launched trial operations in Shanghai, a major metropolitan market
• Strategic partnership with Hynfar Aviation for commercial operations expansion
• Alignment with Shanghai's development plan targeting RMB50 billion industry scale by 2027

Negative

• Still in trial operation phase, not yet generating commercial revenue
• to specific routes and locations initially

Insights

Aviation Industry Expert

This inaugural flight in Shanghai represents a pivotal milestone in urban air mobility commercialization. The completion of operations at Longhua Airport, Shanghai's only downtown airspace facility, demonstrates EHang's ability to integrate eVTOL services into complex urban environments. The strategic partnership with Hynfar Aviation and the airport's positioning as an East China General Aviation Service Center creates a powerful operational foundation.

The regulatory framework is particularly noteworthy - EH216-S holds the complete certification trifecta (Type, Production and Standard Airworthiness) from CAAC, making it the world's first certified pilotless passenger eVTOL. This positions EHang ahead of competitors in the race to commercialize urban air mobility services.

Shanghai's ambitious Action Plan for Low-Altitude Economy targeting RMB50 billion industry scale by 2027 provides clear revenue potential. The planned network connecting major transportation hubs and five intra-city stops creates a viable commercial ecosystem for EHang's services.

Market Research Analyst

The Shanghai launch holds significant market implications. The Yangtze River Delta G60 corridor spans nine cities across four provinces, representing a massive addressable market for urban air mobility services. This regional expansion strategy could drive substantial revenue growth as operations scale.

Shanghai's positioning as a "City in the Sky" hub aligns perfectly with EHang's business model. The target of 100+ low-altitude flight applications by 2027 across logistics, emergency services, tourism and passenger transport creates multiple revenue streams. The government backing significantly de-risks the commercial rollout and provides regulatory certainty.

For context, this is like introducing the first taxi service in a major city - it's not just about the initial routes, but about establishing the infrastructure and consumer acceptance for an entirely new transportation paradigm. The partnership with Hynfar Aviation adds operational expertise and local market access, critical for rapid scaling.

GUANGZHOU, China, Jan. 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EHang Holdings Limited (“EHang” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: EH), the world’s leading Urban Air Mobility (“UAM”) technology platform company, today announced that its flagship pilotless passenger-carrying aerial vehicle EH216-S completed its inaugural demo flight in downtown Shanghai. It served as an excellent backdrop to demonstrate the exceptional capabilities in convenience, safety, and eco-friendliness within the operational environment of UAM in metropolises. It has also officially launched the regular trial operation of the eVTOL sightseeing routes by the Huangpu River at Longhua Airport in Shanghai, in preparation for the following commercial operations in Shanghai. This move aims to realize the urban air mobility in mega central cities.

Image: EH216-S Pilotless eVTOL Completes Debut Flight in Shanghai

Longhua Airport is regarded as the only airport in Shanghai downtown area with apron airspace and is home to the East China General Aviation Service Center of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (“CAAC”). As an important base for the high-quality development of Shanghai's low-altitude economy, Longhua Airport offers ideal conditions for various low-altitude economic activities, including aerial mobility, tourism and sightseeing, emergency rescue and logistics. This flight not only showcased EH216-S’s capabilities for commercial applications in urban sightseeing and travel scenarios, but also laid a solid foundation for its future gradual implementation and realization of regular commercial operations of urban air taxis in the Yangtze River Delta region centered around Shanghai.

Image: EH216-S eVTOL operation center at Longhua Airport in Shanghai

The EH216-S for this debut flight is one of the aircraft products that EHang has delivered to its customer Shanghai Hynfar Aviation Co., Ltd. (“Hynfar Aviation”). Hynfar Aviation is the pioneering company in Shanghai focusing on eVTOL operations and an eVTOL operation partner of Longhua Airport. Going forward, EHang and Hynfar Aviation, and New Margin Eastwood Fund, will take Longhua Airport as the base, to develop a variety of low-altitude economy eVTOL operational scenarios such as passenger transportation and urban sightseeing in the entire area of Shanghai and further covering cities and regions along the Yangtze River Delta G60 Science and Innovation Corridor (including nine cities across Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces). This collaboration aims to promote more cities to realize new models of air taxi transportation.

Image: Numerous guests observed the debut flight of EH216-S in the city center of Shanghai

The Action Plan for High-Quality Development of Shanghai Low-Altitude Economy Industry (2024–2027) aims to position Shanghai as a leading hub for innovation, commercial applications, and operational services in the low-altitude economy, with the core industry scale expected to exceed RMB50 billion by 2027, creating an internationally influential “City in the Sky.” The Plan specifically mentions the goal of achieving more than 100 low-altitude flight service applications in commercial scenarios such as logistics transportation, emergency rescue, cultural tourism, smart cities, and passenger transportation by 2027. It also promotes pilot projects for commercial passenger transport across and between major transportation hubs, such as Hongqiao International Airport, Pudong International Airport, and Longhua Airport, in addition to five new intra-city stops within Shanghai. This provides clear policy guidance and vast development opportunities for the low-altitude economy’s growth.

Mr. Zhao Wang, EHang’s Chief Operating Officer, stated: “As the world’s first pilotless passenger-carrying eVTOL that has obtained the Type Certificate, Production Certificate, and Standard Airworthiness Certificate from the CAAC, EH216-S’s successful debut flight in Shanghai has a great demonstration importance, signifying that large central cities in China are on the verge of entering the era of urban air taxi flight scenarios. With metropolises gradually advancing the development and operations of the low-altitude economy, EHang’s pilotless passenger-carrying eVTOLs are poised to become a key driver in UAM transformation. Looking ahead, we will fully leverage our first-mover advantage as the world’s first certified eVTOL company and join hands with Hynfar Aviation, which has been deeply rooted in the civil aviation field for many years, and combine the all-encompassing layout and rich cultural and tourism resources of the New Margin Eastwood Fund in the low-altitude economic sector, to actively promote market-oriented, EH216-S commercial operations in Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region. Together, we will explore the diversified application scenarios within the low-altitude economy and jointly build a smarter and more efficient UAM ecosystem, making air taxi rides a part of consumers' daily travel routines.”

About EHang
EHang (Nasdaq: EH) is the world’s leading urban air mobility (“UAM”) technology platform company. Our mission is to enable safe, autonomous, and eco-friendly air mobility accessible to everyone. EHang provides customers in various industries with unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) systems and solutions: air mobility (including passenger transportation and logistics), smart city management, and aerial media solutions. EHang’s flagship product EH216-S has obtained the world’s first type certificate, production certificate and standard airworthiness certificate for pilotless eVTOL issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. As the forerunner of cutting-edge UAV technologies and commercial solutions in the global UAM industry, EHang continues to explore the boundaries of the sky to make flying technologies benefit our life in smart cities. For more information, please visit www.ehang.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements that may constitute “forward-looking” statements pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “aims,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “likely to,” and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about management’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including, but not limited to, those relating to certifications, our expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, our products and solutions and the commercialization of UAM services, our relationships with strategic partners, and current litigation and potential litigation involving us. Management has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While they believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond management’s control. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause EHang’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Media Contact: pr@ehang.com
Investor Contact: ir@ehang.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/18539423-3a9e-4a2d-909d-220add6802d4

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/20c3bcc1-4ee5-422b-95c9-a20d1065639d

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/029b32ed-4385-45a9-8e6f-b672fcbed5f5

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/922b6ba0-f5f2-4c59-abd5-f21c28273057

FAQ

When did EHang (EH) complete its first demo flight in Shanghai?

EHang completed its first demonstration flight of the EH216-S in downtown Shanghai on January 16, 2025.

What certifications has EHang's EH216-S received from CAAC?

The EH216-S has received three key certifications from CAAC: Type Certificate, Production Certificate, and Standard Airworthiness Certificate.

What is Shanghai's target for low-altitude economy industry by 2027?

Shanghai aims to achieve an industry scale exceeding RMB50 billion by 2027, with over 100 low-altitude flight service applications in various commercial scenarios.

Where will EHang's EH216-S operate its trial flights in Shanghai?

The EH216-S will operate trial flights for sightseeing routes along the Huangpu River at Longhua Airport in Shanghai.

Which regions will EHang's partnership with Hynfar Aviation cover?

The partnership will cover Shanghai and cities along the Yangtze River Delta G60 Science and Innovation Corridor, including nine cities across Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces.