On March 30, 2025, EHang announced that EHang General Aviation and Hefei HeYi Aviation had received Chinese air operator certificates for passenger-carrying pilotless aircraft. The approvals added an operator milestone to the EH216-S program’s existing aircraft certification achievements.
The historical announcement matters, but later evidence is necessary when judging present availability. EHang’s June 2026 update still described work on additional requirements before public ticketed services. Readers should therefore distinguish the date an operator received its certificate from the date a particular public service actually began selling and completing journeys.
For our comparisons between developers, this distinction is essential. Counting only certificates can hide differences in the kind of operation permitted, the locations involved and the remaining work. Counting only demonstration flights can hide the opposite problem: a visibly active prototype may still face a substantial certification program.
A useful progress dashboard keeps aircraft approval, production readiness and operating availability in separate columns. It also links each milestone to its jurisdiction. That approach gives EHang credit for a significant regulatory step while avoiding a claim that the same permission applies to every country or route. The broader lesson is simple: approval should always be read together with its scope and the latest operational evidence.
Sources & context
Historical milestone · 2025-03-30 Manufacturer statements are attributed claims. Analysis explains possible implications, rather than predicting a guaranteed outcome. This edition was researched through October 4, 2026.
- EHang operators receive air operator certificates — Mar 30, 2025
- EHang first-quarter 2026 results — Jun 9, 2026