EHang Visit in Guangzhou: eVTOL Flight Experience and Business Exchange

An EHang visit in Guangzhou introduces international business delegations to pilotless electric aviation and the operating system behind it. Founded in 2014 and listed on Nasdaq in December 2019, EHang develops aircraft and solutions for advanced air mobility.

The programme combines an exhibition tour, a flight experience and a thematic exchange. Participants can connect the aircraft they see with the development, infrastructure and business decisions involved in bringing a new form of transport into use.

China Innovation Visits coordinates company reception and programme preparation around the delegation’s learning objectives.

EHang is a Guangzhou company, founded in the city in 2014, which announced a pilotless passenger-carrying aircraft in 2016 and listed on Nasdaq in December 2019 — one of very few urban air mobility businesses with a public market history and a certification record it can discuss openly.

Key takeaways

Understand the relationship between aircraft development and commercial operation.

Explore the infrastructure and organisation supporting low-altitude services.

Consider how different applications affect the operating model.

Discuss the requirements for developing a sustainable aviation business.

The real subject of the day is certification. EHang has worked through four stages for the EH216-S — type certificate, production certificate, standard airworthiness certificate and operating certificate — and describes this as the route from development to commercial operation.

The company's own framing is that the hard part is not building an aircraft but the system around it: showing the product is safe, demonstrating manufacturing capability at volume, entering a real scenario, and sustaining an operation.

Key visit details

Getting there — Guangzhou has an international airport and high-speed rail links to Shenzhen and Hong Kong, both short journeys. Most delegations stay in the city and travel to the site by private vehicle, which we arrange. The meeting point and drive time are confirmed during planning.

Location and travel

The programme takes place at EHang’s site in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. The visitor entrance and any transfer between the exhibition and flight location are confirmed during planning.

Guangzhou has an international airport and high-speed rail connections with Shenzhen and Hong Kong, making it a practical stop within a Greater Bay Area itinerary.

Local transport is coordinated around the hotel or arrival station. Transfer time depends on the confirmed reception location and traffic conditions.

Why visit EHang?

Low-altitude aviation brings together several industries: aircraft engineering, batteries, electronics, digital systems and ground infrastructure. EHang provides a setting for understanding how these elements connect within one business.

For delegations, the useful question is how a new aircraft becomes an operating service. Product development must be supported by manufacturing consistency, appropriate approvals, maintenance and a delivery model that customers can use.

The programme also helps teams examine the relationship between technical capability and application choice. A sightseeing service and a transport connection may use related technology, but they have different customer expectations, scheduling requirements and infrastructure needs.

For organisations entering an emerging industry, these distinctions matter when deciding where to invest resources. A promising product does not establish which application should be developed first, who will operate it or how demand will be built.

International teams can use the exchange to compare these questions with conditions in their own markets.

Most drone companies a delegation can visit sell a service: spraying, survey or inspection missions, with a legible business behind each one. EHang does something different. It designs an aircraft, certifies it as airworthy, builds it and operates it carrying people — and the certification steps in that chain are what an outsider almost never gets to examine.

That matters because the low-altitude economy is usually discussed at a level that hides its constraints. Presentations talk about the size of a future market; the companies inside it talk about certificates, airspace approvals, landing sites and who pays for the seat. The second list decides who survives.

There is a governance angle too. A city has to decide whether to build infrastructure before demand exists, and a regulator has to write rules for a class of aircraft that did not previously exist. If your itinerary covers several sectors, we can build the day inside a wider company visit programme.

What the visit includes

The programme is organised around three things that reinforce each other: what is on display, what the aircraft does in the air, and what the company has had to demonstrate on paper. In that order, the hall gives you the product vocabulary, the demonstration gives you the behaviour, and the discussion is where the constraints surface.

EHang exhibition tour

The exhibition introduces the company’s development, aircraft products and application directions, with the EH216-S as a representative model.

The EH216-S is a pilotless, passenger-carrying electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Its product design provides a starting point for understanding electric propulsion, vertical flight and automated operation.

The hall covers the company's history and product line and displays several aircraft, with the EH216-S as the representative model. Walk it looking for design decisions rather than shapes: how many lifting units the aircraft uses, where the redundancy sits, how the cabin is arranged, and what was left out for simplicity.

The product family and what each type is for

EHang's stated application areas for the EH216-S are aerial sightseeing, city transport connections, emergency rescue and low-altitude cultural tourism. Those are not the same business, and the layering matters because the certification burden differs with each. Which can be operated commercially today, and which still depend on approvals or infrastructure that does not yet exist, is a question for your host.

Flight experience

The programme includes a flight-experience session arranged with the company. Participants can connect the exhibition introduction with the aircraft’s operation and the passenger-service process.

The aircraft, flight location, participation arrangements and available slots are confirmed beforehand. Flying remains subject to weather, airspace availability and the host’s operating decision on the day.

Please identify participants interested in the experience during planning so the company can confirm the applicable arrangements.

Where the schedule and weather allow, the visit includes a flight demonstration of the EH216-S. Watched properly it is not entertainment: it is the moment to see how the aircraft behaves with nobody on board, how it is commanded from the ground, how the flight is bounded, and how quickly the sequence is set up and packed away.

Thematic sharing and business exchange

The sharing session introduces EHang’s practical experience in developing low-altitude aviation.

Possible discussion directions include technology development, commercial applications, operating organisation and industry cooperation. The emphasis is prepared around the delegation’s background and the content available from the host.

Business teams may focus on application selection and partnership models. Transport and infrastructure organisations may prioritise deployment conditions, while engineering teams may prefer discussion of development and delivery challenges.

Technology and business topics to explore

Certification and the route to operation

Aircraft certification and operator approval address different parts of the system. The EH216-S has obtained type, production and standard airworthiness certificates from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. In March 2025, EHang announced that its Guangzhou subsidiary and Hefei joint venture had received air operator certificates.

These milestones provide context for discussing how design, manufacturing, individual aircraft and operating organisations are assessed.

Delegations can explore the development work surrounding certification: how evidence is prepared, how requirements affect engineering decisions and how changes are managed as a product progresses.

For teams commercialising other regulated technologies, the relevant lesson is the connection between development planning and the conditions required for delivery. Approval work needs to be considered alongside product design and the intended application.

This is the core of the visit for most delegations. A type certificate confirms the design meets the applicable safety requirements. A production certificate confirms the company can manufacture to that design consistently and at volume. A standard airworthiness certificate attaches to a specific aircraft and confirms that the unit conforms. An operating certificate governs whether the aircraft can carry passengers commercially. EHang has worked through all four stages for the EH216-S, and the order matters: you cannot operate what you cannot manufacture, and you cannot manufacture what you have not certified.

Ground infrastructure and deployment

A low-altitude service requires a usable ground environment. Take-off and landing points, passenger access, charging, maintenance and the surrounding site must work together.

Infrastructure teams can discuss how a location is selected and how facilities connect with the service being offered. The requirements of a visitor attraction may differ from those of a transport interchange or an industrial site.

City and industrial-park organisations may be interested in the responsibilities of different partners. The aircraft supplier, site owner and operator each contribute to deployment, and their coordination affects how a project develops.

This provides a practical basis for considering infrastructure investment: what needs to be available initially, what can expand with demand and which dependencies influence the launch timetable.

A low-altitude operation is a system, not an aircraft. It needs a place to take off and land, a route, an airspace arrangement with the authorities, a ground station and someone commanding the flight, and an operator holding the right permissions. EHang describes scenario work across sightseeing, city connections, rescue and low-altitude tourism. The commercial difference shows in a sightseeing loop compared with a commuter route. A sightseeing flight starts and ends at one point and can be suspended for weather. A commuter service promises a time and competes against a rail or road alternative that is slower but almost always available.

Operational organisation

Pilotless aviation still requires an operating team. The useful discussion concerns the work around each flight, including preparation, monitoring, passenger reception and maintenance.

Operations teams can explore how these activities are organised and which decisions remain with people. They may also ask how an operator responds to changing conditions and communicates adjustments to passengers.

A demonstration and a repeatable service have different organisational requirements. As activity grows, the operator needs consistent procedures, suitable staffing and a way to keep aircraft availability aligned with demand.

The exchange can therefore connect aircraft capability with service delivery, rather than treating flight as an isolated technical event.

Safety architecture and redundancy

The EH216-S is a multirotor design: lift and control come from a number of independent units rather than from one rotor and a mechanical transmission. The logic is redundancy — losing a unit degrades performance rather than removing it, and no single point ends the flight. With no pilot on board, the command path runs from a ground station over a data link. We describe the mechanism and leave the assessment to the people who certify it; what a delegation should ask is what happens when a lift unit or the link fails, and how the ground station is staffed.

Manufacturing and the supply chain

Electric aircraft depend on structures, batteries, propulsion systems, flight-control electronics and other components working together.

The Guangzhou and wider Pearl River Delta manufacturing environment provides context for discussing supplier coordination and hardware development. Delegations can explore how suppliers are selected, how incoming quality is managed and how component changes are reflected in the finished product.

For automotive, aerospace and electronics businesses, relevant questions include the division between internal development and external supply, product traceability and support after delivery.

Manufacturing topics can be discussed during the exchange without assuming access to production areas. Any requested working-area visit is coordinated separately.

A pilotless electric aircraft is assembled from airframe structures, battery packs, electric propulsion units, flight-control electronics and avionics, and the quality of those inputs sets the ceiling on the programme. Guangdong's manufacturing base matters here: the Pearl River Delta supplies composites processing, power electronics, cells and precision components at a density few regions match. The questions worth asking are about supplier qualification and how much of the aircraft is made in-house.

Applications and operating economics

Different applications create different business requirements. Sightseeing is connected with visitor demand and the surrounding attraction; a transport service must also respond to expectations about timing and connections.

Strategy teams can examine how a proposed use case influences the site, staffing and customer journey. The question is which problem the service solves and why a customer would choose it.

Operating economics depend on more than the aircraft purchase. Utilisation, maintenance, energy, ground facilities and personnel all contribute to the service model.

For investors and potential partners, a useful exchange considers how these factors change as a project develops. Early operations can help establish demand and operating experience, while expansion requires a clearer view of repeatable delivery.

How EHang got here

The company's timeline is short by aerospace standards. Founded in Guangzhou in 2014, it announced a pilotless passenger-carrying aircraft in 2016, two years later, and listed on Nasdaq in December 2019 — the first urban air mobility company to do so. The interesting part is the order: it went to the capital markets before it had a certified product or a commercial operation, a bet on the category rather than on current revenue. Low-altitude development has since become an industrial policy priority for cities in this region, shaping airspace coordination and where landing points can be sited.

Who the programme suits

Aviation and transport organisations

Teams developing eVTOL, unmanned aviation or new mobility services can focus on the relationship between product development and operations.

City and industrial-park teams

Public-sector, infrastructure and investment-promotion organisations can consider how an emerging service fits into local development plans.

Manufacturers and technology suppliers

Automotive, aerospace, battery, electronics and digital-system businesses can explore opportunities for engineering cooperation and supply-chain participation.

Investors and business leaders

Strategy and investment teams can examine application choices, partnership structures and the capabilities needed to develop an operating business.

What different teams take away

The same day produces different notes depending on the background of the group. It helps to decide in advance which of the following your delegation is, because it changes which questions are worth the host's time and which parts of the hall deserve a slower walk.

For aviation and transport teams

Your interest is the certification and operating model. Ask which certificate milestones the company has closed and in what order, how the means of compliance were agreed with the regulator, how maintenance is structured for an aircraft with nobody on board, and how airspace for a route is coordinated. These separate an aerospace business from a firm with a flying prototype.

For city authorities and urban governance teams

Your interest is the ground side. Ask where take-off and landing points can realistically be sited, how a city coordinates airspace with the aviation regulator, what noise and privacy questions arise with nearby residents, and who pays for the infrastructure. A city that builds capacity before demand exists takes a bet; one that waits may watch the operator go elsewhere.

For investors and strategy teams

Your interest is the gap between capability and revenue. Ask how long certification took in practice, what it cost to carry, how many aircraft the company can manufacture and deliver, and which scenario is expected to generate paying flights first. A sector where the product is impressive and the permitting is slow produces very different returns.

For logistics and operations teams

Your interest is operating discipline. Ask how a flight is planned and dispatched, how payload and range limits shape what a mission can carry, who makes weather decisions, and how a ground operation scales beyond a single site. A pilotless aircraft takes the pilot out of the vehicle but not out of the loop — it relocates them to a control room, which changes the staffing model.

How to arrange an EHang visit

Company reception is arranged in advance and confirmed by EHang. We recommend planning at least 30 days ahead.

Please provide preferred dates, participant numbers, business background, language requirements and learning objectives. Include any flight-experience requests so they can be coordinated with the operating team.

Four or five priority questions help prepare a focused exchange. Identify the application or business issue behind each question, allowing the host to assess the relevant content.

Requests for particular representatives or technical subjects are confirmed during planning. The programme is coordinated around the company’s reception schedule and available resources.

Sample visit programme

09:30–10:30 — Exhibition tour and flight experience

Explore the company’s development, aircraft products and application directions, followed by the flight experience arranged by the operating team.

10:30–12:00 — Thematic sharing, business exchange and Q&A

The session is prepared around the delegation’s learning objectives and can be customised, followed by discussion of its priority questions.

The programme lasts approximately two and a half hours. Hotel transfers are additional.

The visit arrangements, timings and programme are subject to final confirmation with the host.

Combine with other company visits

An EHang programme can form part of a Guangzhou technology tour, connecting low-altitude aviation with other industrial and technology businesses.

A visit to XAG in Guangzhou provides an agricultural-drone comparison, helping teams examine how different missions shape product and service requirements.

For a wider hardware perspective, the Shenzhen robotics cluster adds context on components and product development.

A broader company visit programme is organised around a common learning theme, travel time and host availability, so the individual stops contribute to a connected comparison.

Practical notes

Comfortable casual shoes are recommended for walking and standing. Business-casual clothing is suitable.

Follow staff instructions around aircraft and operational equipment.

English interpretation can be arranged throughout, with terminology prepared around the confirmed discussion topics.

Dress for a working site rather than an office. Closed-toe shoes with flat soles and long trousers are sensible on an industrial estate, and Guangzhou is hot and humid for much of the year, so a light layer that can be added indoors is more useful than a heavy jacket.

The aircraft is the easy part to look at and the least useful thing to study. What decides whether this industry pays is the certificates and the landing sites.

Questions before an EHang visit

What group size can be accommodated? Visits are normally arranged for groups of 10 or more and fewer than 20 participants. Smaller groups may apply for reception, subject to confirmation by the company.

Do participants need aviation knowledge? No. Explanations can be prepared for business or technical audiences. Please describe the delegation’s background when enquiring.

Is the flight experience included for every participant? Participation and the available number of flight slots require confirmation. Please provide the intended participant list during planning.

Can we visit production areas? The standard programme centres on the exhibition, flight experience and exchange. Production-area access requires separate confirmation.

Can we photograph the aircraft and record the session? Photography and recording must be agreed with the host. Restrictions may apply around operational equipment and working areas.

What happens if flying cannot proceed? The programme is adjusted with the company. Alternative arrangements may include further exhibition explanations or an extended exchange, according to availability.

Is the visit open to international business delegations? Yes, subject to advance arrangement and confirmation by the host. English interpretation is provided, and we recommend planning at least 30 days ahead.

How long does the visit take? The standard programme takes approximately two and a half hours, from 09:30 to 12:00. It extends to a full day when the visit is combined with other stops or with an additional session.

Is the visit suitable for people from outside aviation? Yes. City and industrial-park teams, manufacturers and technology suppliers, and investors and business leaders also find the programme relevant.

Can the visit be combined with other companies? Yes. An EHang programme can form part of a Guangzhou technology tour, connecting low-altitude aviation with other industrial and technology businesses.

Arrange your EHang visit

Contact China Innovation Visits to arrange your EHang visit in Guangzhou.