China's EHang conducts first public autonomous eVTOL flight in Hong Kong

HONG KONG — Chinese air mobility company EHang carried out the first public flight of its autonomous electric aircraft, the EH216-S, at Hong Kong's Cyberport district, according to Reuters. The flight took place under Regulatory Sandbox X, a program opened by the Hong Kong government to test low-altitude economy applications. The aircraft performed vertical take-off and landing, hovered at low altitude and executed maneuvers along pre-programmed routes. EHang said additional public flights will be held through August 30 to evaluate system reliability and performance. Government officials and civil aviation representatives observed the demonstration. The EH216-S holds type, production and airworthiness certifications from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. EHang said the Hong Kong trials will generate operational data to support the development of regulatory frameworks for autonomous aircraft.