Five on Friday: EHang, Vertical and Whisper

This week we saw the first air operator certificate (AOC) granted for an uncrewed passenger aircraft.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the development originates from China and its equally unsurprising that EHang is at the forefront of this.

On March 30th, Ehang announced that its subsidiary Guangdong EHang General Aviation and joint venture Hefei HeYi Aviation were granted the AOC from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). But by no means was it an easy feat. It took the company nearly 18 months to get the AOC after it secured type certificate for the EH126-S model.

While this is a step forward, it is worth noting that the AOC will be initially limited to sightseeing flights. Urban Air Mobility (UAM) certificates for passenger transport are not here yet.

Meanwhile, US companies like Joby and Archer are unlikely to complete their FAA type certifications anytime before 2026.