Autonomous aerial vehicle platform EHang's 216 aircraft has obtained a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) issued by the Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), the first permit of its kind for periodic operations of passenger-grade AAVs in North America.

With the certificate, trial flights of EHang 216 AAVs can be routinely conducted in Québec province. Last September, EHang was invited to showcase its 216 at ICAO's 75th anniversary ceremony in Québec. The EHang 216 AAV was appraised by ICAO and other aviation authorities. The company sees the move as an important foundation for future urban air mobility (UAM) operations in Canada.

EHang founder, chairman and CEO, Huazhi Hu says: “We are pleased to see the EHang 216 receiving such an important certificate from the TCCA, following consecutive flight approvals received from aviation authorities in different countries, including the US FAA, the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. It conveys a positive signal from global regulators to establish a supportive and sustainable regulatory environment for the UAM industry. As a leader in the industry, we will continue to work with our customers and partners to provide safe, autonomous and eco-friendly air mobility solutions to the world.”

EHang has also announced that it will build a new AAV production facility in Yunfu city in Guangdong, China with a planned initial annual capacity of 600 units. Meanwhile, local government will invest RMB42 million (approximately US$6 million) in the facility. The EHang Yunfu facility will look to be an industry-leading AAV production centre, including an R&D facility for air mobility solutions and a training centre for operations and technical talents.

The deputy mayor of Yunfu city, Donghong Shi attended the launch ceremony and commented that the Yunfu city government welcomes and fully supports EHang in its goal of establishing new production facility for the cutting-edge AAV products in Yunfu. It is also expected that Ehang will bring strong vitality to the local high tech communities and create hundreds of new jobs for local talents.

Huazhi Hu adds: “The increasing market demands and commercialisation of AAVs are driving us to expand our production and upgrade our manufacturing capabilities. The EHang Yunfu facility serves as an expansion of our existing facility and will support the growth of our air mobility business.”