China has granted commercial operations to drone taxis for the first time in the world.
According to the state-run Global Times on Sunday, China’s General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC) recently issued a Civilian Drone Passage Certificate (OC) to Guangdong International Airport under drone maker Lee Hang and Hefei Hei Air in Anhui Province. OC is an official certification that acknowledges that the aircraft has met the country’s safe operation standards. The two companies will be able to carry paid passengers in their approved airspace and start commercial operations.
The EH216-S model, which acquired OC this time, is the flagship model developed by Lee Hang and is an electric vertical take-off and landing plane (eVTOL) that can take off and land vertically with two passengers on board without a pilot. It has completed more than 60,000 safe flights so far, and was registered as a sale for 2.39 million yuan last year on Taobao, an online shopping mall in China.
China Central Television (CC) explained that compared to vehicles, if the type certification, production certification, and airworthiness certification of the aircraft meet the manufacturing requirements of the vehicle, the OC is a procedure for obtaining permission to operate on the road. “In the future, we will be able to book low-pass flights through mobile apps just like ride-hailing services,” Lee said. “We will gradually expand our commercial base across Guangzhou to provide urban tourism and air commuting services.” However, some point out that there are still many things to go through before commercialization. Challenges include establishing a stable business model, maintaining operational infrastructure by region, and establishing an institutional foundation to encourage additional operators to participate.
EJ SONG
US ASIA JOURNAL
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