Chinese urban air mobility (UAM) company EHang has opened a facility in Japan to act as a demonstration flight site, ground infrastructure and maintenance base.

Japan’s first UAM centre has been established in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture. This facility is for EHang’s various pilotless electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in the region, including the EH216-S.

During the inauguration ceremony attended by Tatsuo Igarashi, mayor of Tsukuba City, the EH216-S pilotless eVTOL completed its first flight in the Kanto region for aerial sightseeing.

The establishment of the centre is the result of a partnership between EHang and AirX, a Japanese air mobility digital platform company. Situated on the site of a former helicopter control and command centre owned by Ibaraki Prefectural government, the UAM centre houses hangars with capacity for approximately 25 EH216-S aircraft. The shared landing platform, used by both helicopters and eVTOLs, covers an area of around 30,000 square metres. Developed by AirX in collaboration with Tsukuba Airlines, the centre is designed to meet the evolving needs of air mobility that encompasses pilotless eVTOL aircraft, helicopters and private jets.

To date, the EH216-S pilotless eVTOL aircraft has conducted flights across 12 cities in Japan, showcasing its versatility in various use cases, including aerial sightseeing, island transportation, aerial logistics and emergency services.

“Through the establishment of this UAM centre, our goal is to showcase air mobility flight experiences to the public,” said Tezuka Kiwamu, CEO of AirX (www.airx.aero). “In the future, we plan to offer aerial sightseeing services with the cutting-edge EH216-S eVTOL aircraft at this location. Looking ahead, AirX is gearing up to launch additional UAM centres in Tokyo, solidifying our commitment to spearheading the development of UAM and transforming the future of transportation in Japan.”

Huazhi Hu, CEO of EHang, added: “Congratulations on the inauguration of Japan’s first UAM centre. This is a key milestone in UAM, bringing us one step closer to introducing a new era of transportation to the public. EHang will continue collaborating with our partners in promoting safe, autonomous and environmentally friendly UAM in Japan, as we aim to offer our pilotless eVTOLs to a global audience and enhance the lives of people worldwide.”

EHang (www.ehang.com) aims to enable safe, autonomous and eco-friendly air mobility accessible to everyone. It provides unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), air mobility including passenger transportation and logistics, smart city management, and aerial media. Its flagship product EH216-S obtained the world’s first type certificate and standard airworthiness certificate for pilotless eVTOL from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in 2023.