EHang Conducts First Passenger-carrying Flight in Japan

China’s EHang has completed its first passenger-carrying autonomous flight demonstration of its EH216 in Japan.

The aircraft, carrying two passengers without any pilot onboard, flew over the coastline of Tanoura Beach in Oita city on the eastern coast of Kyushu, Japan. The flight was conducted under the approval of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (“MLIT”) of Japan, with a view to enhancing public awareness of advanced air mobility (AAM) in the local community and accelerating the development of AAM in Japan.

In July 2022, an EH216 completed Japan’s first eVTOL point-to-point demo flight for air mobility in Oita City, Oita Prefecture, which received “overwhelming responses,” according to Sato Kiichiro, Mayor of Oita.

“Today, EH216 takes on the challenge of passenger-carrying flight here, and I am very pleased to witness this moment. I hope that today’s passenger-carrying flight test will accelerate autonomous aerial vehicles to take a further step toward practical use cases, so that this industry full of opportunities could be in full swing,” said Sato.

Kirino Hiroshi, Chairman of the Okayama Kurashiki Mizushima Aero & Space Industry Cluster Study Group, was one of the passengers on the EH216 demonstration flight.

“This successful flight test of EH216 in Oita Prefecture has shown us the possibilities of experiencing the beauty and pleasure the skies offer without a pilot. We look forward to EH216’s flight tests in more cities, and the future when EH216 can be deployed and applied in Japan.” Kirino said.

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