China clears first eVTOL aircraft for production as ‘low-altitude economy’ takes wing
- First production licence in China has been issued for an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, a major step for the country’s ‘low-altitude economy’
- Industries centred around activities within 1,000 metres of sea level, particularly flight, projected to reach trillions of yuan in value by 2030
China has issued its first production licence for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, further solidifying its position in the global race to broaden commercial applications and win market share in the up-and-coming tech-driven sector.
The EH216-S, an unmanned eVTOL aircraft capable of transporting passengers, received a production certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Sunday, according to a social media post from the aircraft’s manufacturer EHang. The craft obtained its type and standard airworthiness certificates – both required for commercial operations – from the CAAC last year.
The licensure marks a breakthrough in China’s multipronged effort to bolster what it calls the “low-altitude economy”, a wide range of industries related to manned and unmanned vehicles operating below an altitude of 1,000 metres.
As China intensifies its presence in civil aviation to break the long-standing duopoly of US-based Boeing and European multinational Airbus – a daunting task, considering the domestic industry’s relative infancy and the battery of trade restrictions any tech-intensive field is bound to encounter – the newer and more open low-altitude arena, driven by wide adoption of eVTOL aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, presents a less arduous path for China to become a world leader.