CAAC accepts EHang’s AOC application
The Chinese regulator has accepted EHang’s air operator certificate (AOC) application for its EH216-S aircraft.
The application was submitted by Guangdong EHang General Aviation — aka EHang General Aviation — and Hefei Heyi Aviation, the firm’s joint venture company in Hefei. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) formally accepted the submission on Monday this week and will now commence a review process of EHang’s business license and operational qualification for pilotless passenger-carrying services. The regulator has also established a specialised review team for the process.
EHang said its partners in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Taiyuan, and Wuxi are also actively preparing AOC applications/
Huazhi Hu, founder and CEO of EHang, said: “We are collaborating with the CAAC to establish a new operation system for pilotless aerial vehicles, which will once again achieve a breakthrough in the global civil aviation industry. The formal acceptance of the world’s first pilotless passenger-carrying eVTOL OC application has significant implications for the eVTOL industry.
Similar to the previous type certification process, the AOC certification for the EH216-S does not directly follow existing civil aviation standards. It requires “innovation and improvement” based on current regulations to establish a new applicable standard.
In March, the CAAC issued a Consultation Notice on the Application and Issuance of Operator Certificate under the Civil Aviation Regulations Part 92, it clarifies the AOC application procedures and requirements, standardises the scope and key points of operational safety assessments and refines operational management requirements.
EHang is also helping the CAAC, using its operational data and practical experience, to develop operational standards for EH216-S.
In May, the group standard Technical Requirements for eVTOL Aircraft Landing Sites, primarily drafted and initiated by EHang, was released. This standard provides guidelines on the technical parameters of eVTOL aircraft landing sites, including physical characteristics, obstacle limitations, site selection and structural design. As China’s first technical specification for eVTOL aircraft landing sites, it will serve as a reference basis for the development of eVTOL industry standards in China.
Hu added: “From obtaining the world’s first type certification, production certificate, and standard airworthiness certificate for a pilotless passenger-carrying eVTOL, to enter into OC certification, we are pleased to have received high recognition from the CAAC and are one step closer to realising our goal of commercial operation of unmanned passenger-carrying aerial vehicles, representing the final step for urban air mobility entering the consumer market. We look forward to the issuance of the world’s first commercial operation standard and the first OC for pilotless passenger-carrying eVTOL , which will bring low-altitude economy accessible to the public.”
