On April 7th, the Central and Southern Regional Administration of Civil Aviation of China issued the world’s first unmanned manned aircraft delivery permit (PC) to Yihang Intelligence. This is the first delivery permit in the industry according to eVTOL, and the company’s EH216-S is praised for its quality and talent.
Hu Huazhi, founder, chairman, and CEO of Yihang Intelligence, declined to be interviewed by Interface News. He stated that PC certification means entering the stage of mass production and expanding the scope of commercial operations. The company plans to promote the “model cities” of low altitude economy in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Hefei and other places within the year. “We have stopped essential contact with local authorities and will be the first to promote the” no air no car rental “policy in these cities.”
At this point, Yihang Intelligent EH216-S has taken the lead in obtaining the three certificates of airworthiness certification: in October and December 2023, Yihang successively obtained the first model conformity certificate (TC) and the first scale airworthiness certificate (AC) in the industry, and has the qualifications to join the shopping mall. The issuance of PC certification further accelerates the speed of trade closure caused by Yihang.
Pushing out “air taxis” in the Greater Bay Area
Previously, Yihang Intelligence had achieved its first trade flight in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other places, while the factory located in Yunfu achieved an annual production quality of 600 aircraft.
The low altitude economy has been reported by local authorities and has also faced a small outbreak in Guangdong.
In February of this year, Guangzhou Development Zone cancelled the first batch of 10 efficient logistics low altitude routes and used drones to “flash collect” bonded goods ordered; In March, the first urban conditioning group low altitude conditioning collection express line was further opened up, and blood samples were received by the hospital’s inspection department to stop inspection.
According to relevant officials from the Growth and Reform Bureau of Guangzhou Development Zone and Huangpu District, the district has not yet launched pilot projects to support low altitude operators such as Yihang Intelligence and district traffic investment groups in developing air traffic, expanding the widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles in manned flights, civilized performances, agricultural villages, intelligent transportation, urban management inspections, legal evidence collection, territorial surveying, emergency relief, forest fire prevention, positioning services, disaster monitoring, and other areas.
Shenzhen has taken the lead in the restoration of basic supporting facilities, adopting a strategy of “building while applying”. Currently, construction has begun to repair more than 100 eVTOL lifting points, and Shenzhen’s related low altitude economy is planned to achieve 600 such lifting points by the end of 2025.
Hong Kong and Macao, which are also part of the Greater Bay Area, are also the focus of Yihang’s attention. Hu Huazhi pointed out that there are some very exemplary air traffic scenarios in Hong Kong, such as the short haul route from West Kowloon High Speed Rail Station to Victoria Harbour, and the cross sea route from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. Yihang also plans to promote related operations at the port this year, but there is currently no specific schedule.
Conditions for dividends
“The reason why the childbirth permit is particularly important is that the condition for the dividend is to fulfill a considerable market share, which requires the standardization of quality production. If the quality is not so large, it is not possible to raise the cost to the minimum.” He Tianxing, Vice President of Yihang Intelligence, declined an interview with Interface News.
At present, eVTOL is mainly used in cultural and tourism scenarios such as urban tourism and low altitude tourism, or to adjust short haul delivery routes such as sample delivery, product delivery, and takeout, with G-end shopping malls as the main focus. He Tianxing mentioned that most of the current orders are mutual assistance with authorities or trade institutions with certain physical conditions. “They purchase our aircraft and then form an amateur management team to provide flying services.”
In response to the form of non trade implementation, He Tianxing stated that now Yihang has its own operating entity for its own navigation companies. Without going to these navigation companies, they will also establish joint ventures in various cities, either in the form of sole proprietorship, or with local state-owned asset platforms or low altitude repair private companies, to promote the growth of the industry.
But He Tianxing exaggerates that the most crucial cost for low altitude economy is to radiate to daily commuting and transportation in the city. “Before going, eVTOL cannot become more of a transportation object that individuals own, and they also need to pay attention to costs. The best way to increase costs is to make the shopping mall bigger and more extensive.” He said that pricing for related routes needs to be broken down and evaluated under the constraints of the pricing system in private areas, based on specific business scenarios, urban price levels, shopping mall scope, trade forms, and other forms.
According to Hu Huazhi’s plan, after the first commercial launch ceremony, users can click on “No Car Rental” on the mobile app the next day – Yihang’s ultimate goal is a C-end shopping mall. He informed Erzi that a series of commercial preparatory rest measures are currently being stopped, including fundamental measures for repair, personnel training, aircraft decommissioning, and management.
“We are working together with the Civil Aviation Administration to develop operational systems and trade operation standards. It is estimated that there will be no Taiwan in the second quarter of this year. Another point is the fundamental restoration. Our cities are now built for cars, and the new forms of transportation will have a strong overturning effect. The biggest change may first occur at the entrance of our community – there is a lifting point without a door, just like there is a bus stop without a door now,” Hu Huazhi said.
After obtaining the three certificates
The childbirth permit is an important and crucial certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China to aircraft manufacturers. After obtaining the certificate, Yihang Intelligence has also reached a turning point in quality production.
According to the introduction, the batch quality management system of EH216-S has uncovered the crux of raw materials, supplier management, delivery structure, delivery quality control, aircraft out of factory attempts, and post sales training protection. This certification evaluation shows that Yihang Intelligence has established a batch quality management system that meets the requirements of China’s civil aviation airworthiness regulations, and has been approved to stop continuous and batch delivery.
Several flying car companies have also been reported to have come to a halt recently: Xiaopeng Huitian’s request for the “Ocean Aircraft Carrier” Flying Car Model Certificate (TC) has been officially accepted by the Central and Southern Regional Administration of Civil Aviation of China, marking that the model is about to enter the airworthiness verification stage. Fengfei Airlines entrusted the first Chaos Dragon eVTOL, with the client being one of Japan’s earliest AAM operators. According to publicly available materials, this is the commissioning of the world’s first civilian tonnage eVTOL aircraft.
Luo Liangsheng, Vice President and Secretary General of Guangdong UAV Industry Association, analyzed to Interface News that for the entire industry, the dedication and refurbishment of Yihang Intelligence in obtaining the three certificates are reflected in “exploring the experimental essentials of every airworthiness process.”.
“Unmanned aerial vehicles have simpler structures and lower labor and operational costs compared to conservative aircraft. However, their cost is reflected in the process from research and development to product maturity, which incurs significant expenses and testing costs. In order to obtain evidence, it is necessary to conduct four to five hundred tests. However, it is more mature for other manufacturers to conduct tests now, and the certification cycle may not need to be so long,” said Luo Liangsheng.
Lin Heyong, Director of the Central and Southern Airworthiness Certification Office of Civil Aviation of China, stated that after obtaining the “three certificates”, he requested to stop post certification management and repair from three aspects: for the model certificate, he requested the EH216-S original R&D plan team to do continuous security improvement rest, continuously improve network users’ shortcomings and achievements, and make improvements; In order to ensure the airworthiness of each entrusted EH216-S, it is necessary to continuously improve the delivery quality system to ensure that the agreed plan can be accurately implemented throughout the entire delivery process; Finally, there is a post sale service repair, requesting training and rest on the operation and protection before joining the operation, and timely monitoring the operation and survival results of the network during the operation process, continuously processing user scores.