EHang has completed a demonstration flight of its EH216-S pilotless electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The flight, which took place on June 12, 2024, flew in a low-risk, pre-designated section of airspace, providing an opportunity to evaluate this eVTOL aircraft’s capabilities in a real setting.
Saudi Arabia aims to become one of the first countries in the world to introduce commercial eVTOL service within the framework of its Vision 2030 economic transformation strategy.
The Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Roadmap presented by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia in early 2024 contemplates the introduction of the first eVTOL services in several locations throughout the Kingdom as early as 2026.
It is within this context, that Saudi authorities are looking at the possibility of using eVTOLs as a way to facilitate mobility and avoid traffic congestion during the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Several Saudi government bodies, including the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), the Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services, the Ministry of Hajj and the Ministry of Interior, collaborated with Front End, which is the partner of EHang in Saudi Arabia, in preparation of the trial flight.
EHang was one of the exhibitors showcasing its technology at the Advanced Air Mobility Pavilion of the Future Aviation Forum, which took place in Riyadh on May 20-22, 2024, alongside other eVTOL developers such as Joby Aviation and Archer from the United States, and Germany¾«¶«Ó°Òµ Volocopter. Â
