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
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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.
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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.