EHang completes maiden flights of two-seater air taxi in South Korea

25 Nov 2020
by SmartCitiesWorld news team

EHang Holdings, an autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology platform company, has announced its two-seater air taxi has completed its maiden flights in the Republic of Korea.

According to Ehang, the flight tours across Seoul, Daegu, and Jeju Island signify the starting point to explore the urban air mobility (UAM) market in South Korea.

Korean UAM roadmap

In June 2020, the government announced the Korean UAM roadmap, outlining steps needed to commercialise UAM services by 2023 to 2025.

The Korean flight tours were completed after obtaining the first (special certificate of airworthiness (SAC) issued for a passenger-grade AAV by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Molit).

Respectively, EHang reports the three flights demonstrated the practical use cases of its UAM solutions in different scenarios.

In Soeul, EHang 216 took off from Yeouido Island in downtown to have an autonomous flight over a densely populated area. The second flight was carried out in Suseong District, Daegu City, to deliver a package containing a 119 fire emergency kit and AED materials.

“To tackle the traffic congestion, we will try our best to develop UAM and turn it into a new engine for our economic development”

The last flight was executed in Jeju Island where the air taxi flew over the coastline to demonstrate a real use case of aerial sightseeing.

“The air taxi is a dream of mankind for future transportation. Urban air mobility services are [attracting] keen attention as an option to alleviate ground traffic congestion with huge potential for growth,” said Seo Jeong-hyup, the acting mayor of Seoul.

Located in the central urban area of Daegu city, Suseong District plans to launch more aerial routes in stages, based on the EHang 216 flight and promote the industrialisation process of UAM.

“To tackle the traffic congestion, we will try our best to develop UAM and turn it into a new engine for our economic development,” said Kim Dae-Gweon, mayor of Suseong District in Daegu city.

UAM development

To help further promote UAM development, the self-governing province of Jeju Island said it is considering various measures, including the set-up of special funds and policies, fostering talents and supporting relevant enterprises.

With the support of Molit and the local governments, EHang claims the success of the first phase of its operation plan for Korea sets another milestone in the company’s global UAM development, and further demonstrated the safety and reliability of its AAV technology.

Completion of the maiden flight tour may lead to opportunities for future cooperation between EHang and its Korean partners in potential UAM operations. EHang said it will work with its partners in potential smart city transformations with its AAV technologies.

Source: https://bit.ly/3q1wfA4