Guangdong-made products are going global, and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) from Guangdong are taking flight across the world.

In 2014, EHang got its start in an abandoned park in Guangzhou, where a group of engineers from non-aviation backgrounds such as computer science and communication set out to build passenger-carrying autonomous aerial vehicles. Real-world scenarios became the testing ground for innovative products. Guangzhou Development District and Huangpu District have listed the low-altitude economy as a key future industry, providing the most enabling local environment for enterprises in the low-altitude economy.

Over the past decade, EHang has continued to grow in Guangdong, alongside the rapid expansion of the province's low-altitude economy. The industry has reached a scale of hundreds of billions of yuan, with more than 2,000 low-altitude aircraft makers and over 15,000 related enterprises, accounting for over 30% of companies across China's low-altitude economy industrial chain, ranking first nationwide.

In 2025, the operators of EHang's EH216-S pilotless eVTOL officially obtained the Air Operator Certificate (OC). This made EHang the world's first company to secure all four certifications: Type Certificate (TC), Production Certificate (PC), Standard Airworthiness Certificate (AC), and OC, marking the entry of the EH216-S into the commercialization stage.

Looking back at June, 2025, in South America, EHang signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Fábrica Argentina de Aviones "Brigadier San Martín" S.A.(FAdeA), Argentina's national aerospace manufacturer. The cooperation aims to support airworthiness certification, localized production, and the development of operational service systems for the EH216-S in Argentina and across Latin America in the coming years.

In Africa, in September, at the 9th Aviation Africa Summit and Exhibition, the EH216-S completed its first-ever pilotless human-carrying flight in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

In Asia, in October, EHang and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand jointly launched the "Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Sandbox Initiative", with plans to deploy 100 units of eVTOL by the end of 2026.

In North America, in November, the EH216-S made an appearance at the eVTOL USA Conference in Silicon Valley. As the only Chinese technology company invited to attend, EHang attracted strong interest from the Silicon Valley tech community with its innovations.

In Europe, in December, the EH216-S completed point-to-point urban flights in Spain. This also marked the first emergency-response flight conducted by a pilotless eVTOL in a European city.

eVTOL“瞰”天下，广东如何领飞低空经济？

广货行天下，广东eVTOL（电动垂直起降飞行器）“瞰”天下。

2014年，亿航智能从广州一个废弃公园里开启探索，一群来自计算机、通信等非传统航空领域的工程师想要打造无人驾驶载人航空器。真实的场景，是创新产品的试金石。广州开发区、黄埔区将低空经济列为重点未来产业，为低空经济企业提供最好的“地利”。

10多年间，亿航智能在广东不断成长，广东低空经济也蓬勃发展，产业已达千亿级规模，低空飞行器制造企业超2000家，相关企业超1.5万家，占全国低空经济产业链企业的30%以上，位居全国第一。

2025年，亿航智能EH216-S无人驾驶载人航空器相关运营航司正式获得运营合格证（OC）。这意味着，亿航智能成为全球首个集齐型号合格证（TC）、生产许可证（PC）、标准适航证（AC）与OC“四证”的企业，EH216-S将迈入商业化运营阶段。

回看2025年，在南美，6月，亿航智能与阿根廷国家飞机制造公司（FAdeA）签署战略合作备忘录，助力EH216-S未来在阿根廷及拉美地区的适航认证、本地化生产及运营服务体系建设。

在非洲，9月，在第九届非洲航空峰会暨展览会上，EH216-S在卢旺达首都基加利完成非洲载人首飞。

在亚洲，10月，亿航智能与泰国民航局联合启动“空中交通（AAM）沙盒计划”，并计划在2026年底布设100架eVTOL。

在北美，11月，EH216-S亮相在美国硅谷举行的eVTOL大会。作为唯一受邀参会的中国科技企业，亿航智能用创新“圈粉”硅谷科技圈。

在欧洲，12月，EH216-S在西班牙完成点对点城市飞行，这也是无人驾驶eVTOL在欧洲城市首次进行的应急响应场景飞行。

文丨记者 高焓
图丨受访者提供
翻译丨曾敏
审校丨肖凯欣