The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has announced the first unmanned civil aviation experimental zones (UCAEZs) as the country works to develop an unmanned civil aviation industry. The list of UCAEZs covers 13 cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Hezhou, Hangzhou, Zigong, Anyang, Nanjing, Tianjin, Yulin, Shenyang, Dongying, Anqing and Ganzhou.

EHang Holdings intends to leverage this new policy to accelerate the implementation of its urban air mobility (UAM) pilot city initiative in the UCAEZs. Under the guidance of the CAAC and the UCAEZs, EHang will soon initiate regular UAM operational services.

In May 2020, the CAAC issued 'Guidance on the Construction of Unmanned Civil Aviation Experimental Zones', proposing the organisation and mobilisation of industry forces to provide the UCAEZs with integrated convenient channels for airworthiness, operation, air traffic control and business licensing. The guidance also promotes active cooperation with the local governments of the zones in airspace coordination, and encourages unmanned aviation enterprises and institutions to make use of existing infrastructure to implement operating practices.

With the implementation of UCAEZs in China, EHang will continue to accelerate the regular operations of its AAV technology solutions for various practical use cases including passenger transportation, aerial sightseeing, air logistics, aerial firefighting, emergency rescue and medical transportation.