UAM company EHang has signed a purchase and operation cooperation agreement with KC Smart Mobility to promote the deployment and operation of EHang’s EH216-S pilotless electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL) in Hong Kong, Macau, and the cities of Xiangyang and Shiyan in Hubei Province in China. According to the cooperation agreement, KC Smart Mobility plans to purchase a total of 30 units of EH216-S from EHang.
KCBH is one of Hong Kong’s largest transportation companies, providing passenger transport services between mainland China and Hong Kong, as well as local transport services within Hong Kong. It has also expanded its business into the tourism sites such as Lantau Island in Hong Kong and Bipenggou Tourism Resort in Sichuan Province. KC Smart Mobility, a KCBH’s subsidiary dedicated to innovative travel solutions, plans to contribute to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s upcoming blueprint for low-altitude economy development and the formulation of related laws and regulations. EHang and KC Smart Mobility will make joint efforts to kick off the EH216-S flight event in Hong Kong, setting a benchmark for UAM operation with pilotless eVTOL in Hong Kong.
Jingkai Zheng, Mainland China Business Director at KCBH, said: “KCBH has always been dedicated to providing exceptional travel services. Our partnership with EHang marks a new era by extending our passenger transport services from the ground to the sky. We look forward to the EH216-S playing a significant role in aerial sightseeing and air mobility, as well as other use cases in Hong Kong and Macau, and we will prepare for EH216-S commercialisation with the highest safety standards that ensured for our air mobility services.”
EHang’s AOC application accepted by CAAC
EHang announced that the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has formally accepted the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) applications submitted by Guangdong EHang General Aviation, the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary specialising in UAM operation services, and Hefei Heyi Aviation, its joint venture company in Hefei. This marks the commencement of the review process for the applicants’ business license and operational qualification for pilotless passenger-carrying aerial vehicles, with consensus reached on review procedures, subjects, and frameworks. The CAAC has established a specialised review team to move forward the subsequent review process.