EHang has established Japan's first UAM centre in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture. The facility serves as a demonstration flight site, ground infrastructure and maintenance base for EHang's various pilotless eVTOL aircraft in the region, including the EH216-S.

During the inauguration ceremony, which was attended by Tatsuo Igarashi, mayor of Tsukuba City, the EH216-S pilotless eVTOL successfully completed its first flight in the Kanto region.

The UAM centre comes about as a result of a strategic partnership between EHang andJapan-based air mobility digital platform AirX. It is situated on the site of the former helicopter control and command centre owned by Ibaraki Prefectural Government, and houses hangars with capacity for approximately 25 EH216-S aircraft. The shared landing platform, used by both helicopters and eVTOLs, covers an area of around 30,000sqm. Developed by AirX in collaboration with Tsukuba Airlines, the UAM centre is designed to meet the evolving needs of next-generation air mobility of pilotless eVTOL aircraft, helicopters and private jets.

EHang has been actively expanding its presence in the global market. To date, its EH216-S has successfully conducted flights across 12 cities in Japan, showcasing its versatility for aerial sightseeing, island transportation, aerial logistics and emergency service missions.

In 2023, it became a member of Japan's Public-Private Committee for AAM, the only pilotless eVTOL provider among the 56 committee members.

Kiwamu Tezuka, founder and CEO of AirX, comments: "Through the establishment of this UAM centre, our goal is to showcase air mobility flight experiences to the public. In the future, we plan to offer aerial sightseeing services with the EH216-S eVTOL aircraft here. Looking ahead, AirX is gearing up to launch additional UAM centres in Tokyo, solidifying our commitment to spearheading the development of UAM and transforming the future of transportation in Japan."

Huazhi Hu, founder, chairman and CEO of EHang, adds: "Congratulations on the inauguration of Japan's first UAM centre. This is a key milestone in UAM, bringing us one step closer to introducing a new era of transportation to the public. EHang will continue collaborating with our partners in promoting safe, autonomous and environmentally friendly UAM solutions in Japan as we aim to offer our pilotless eVTOLs to a global audience and enhance the lives of people worldwide."