EHang Achieves First Pilotless Human-Carrying eVTOL Flight in Africa at the 9th Aviation Africa Summit
GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EHang Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:EH) ( "EHang" or "the Company"), the world's leading Urban Air Mobility ("UAM") technology company, announced that it successfully conducted the first-ever pilotless human-carrying flight of its EH216-S in Africa. This milestone took place during the 9th Aviation Africa Summit & Exhibition (the "Aviation Africa Summit") in Kigali, Rwanda, in collaboration with its strategic partner China Road and Bridge Corporation ("CRBC"). This marks a historic breakthrough for EHang as the first pilotless electric vertical take-off and landing ("eVTOL") aircraft to fly on the African continent.
Image: EHang's EH216-S completes its first pilotless human-carrying flight in Rwanda, Africa
Image: Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Minister of Infrastructure Dr. Jimmy Gasore, Director General of Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority ("RCAA") Silas Udahemuka, Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda Wenqi Gao and other dignitaries witness the flights on site
The first pilotless flight of the EH216-S in Africa received strong support from the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority ("RCAA"). Dignitaries including Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Minister of Infrastructure Dr. Jimmy Gasore, RCAA Director General Silas Udahemuka, and Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda Wenqi Gao were present to witness this historic moment. Aviation representatives and media journalists from over 50 countries worldwide attended the flight ceremony, with Mr. Rucheng Lu, Chief Engineer of EHang, also accompanying the guests. Staff from the RCAA and reporters from China Media Group were the first group of passengers to experience the flights. This milestone not only marked a successful debut in Africa, but also expanded the EH216-S's global flight footprint to 21 countries across five continents.
Image: At the flight site, Rucheng Lu, Chief Engineer of EHang, introduces the features of the EH216-S to Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Rwandan Minister of Infrastructure Dr. Jimmy Gasore, Chinese Ambassador to Rwanda Wenqi Gao and other guests
Key Remarks from Dignitaries:
President Paul Kagame of Rwandan recognized EHang's leading technological innovation and the safe, reliable performance of the flight, stating, "This impressive flight will drive the development of low-altitude transportation in Africa."
Chinese Ambassador Wenqi Gao highlighted the flight as a symbol of deepening practical cooperation between China and Rwanda, emphasizing the role of this milestone in the broader context of China-Africa technological cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Minister of Infrastructure Dr. Jimmy Gasore expressed Rwanda's commitment to embracing new transportation solutions, noting that this flight serves as a reference point for building a safe and advanced air mobility regulatory framework in the country.
As one of Africa's largest annual aviation events, the Aviation Africa Summit focuses on aviation industry development, regional cooperation, and investment opportunities, facilitating global exchanges around topics such as new civil aviation applications. The EH216-S, displayed at the summit, attracted visitors from over 50 countries and regions across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Dignitaries such as President Paul Kagame, Chinese Ambassador Wenqi Gao visited EHang's booth, to discuss low-altitude economy cooperation and technological exchanges between China and Rwanda, expressing the willingness to work together for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes in emerging industries.
Expansion Plans in Africa:
Africa's vast geography presents unique opportunities for the low-altitude aviation, especially in remote and underserved regions. The successful debut flight of the EH216-S is not only a preview of its future deployment in practical commercial applications, but also a demonstration of how air mobility can address transportation challenges, enhance economic growth, and improve livelihoods across the African continent. EHang will join hands with partners such as CRBC to actively expand into the African market, leveraging its advanced pilotless aerial vehicle technology and rich experience in low-altitude application practices, and jointly explore an advanced air mobility development model suitable for the African region.
As the strategic partner for the summit and flight, Qilin Huang, Head of CRBC's Rwanda Office, stated, "The EH216-S flight is a brilliant showcase of China's cutting-edge technology and new-quality productive forces in Africa. Looking forward, we will continue to explore eVTOL application scenarios in Africa and open up new opportunities this emerging market."
Mr. Rucheng Lu, Chief Engineer of EHang, commented, "With over 73,000 safe flights already completed, this first human-carrying flights in Africa demonstrates EHang's outstanding technical capabilities and robust system safety, making an important step in accelerating our global expansion. Starting with the Aviation Africa Summit, EHang will continue to engage with African airlines, airports, civil aviation authorities, industry organizations, and aviation professionals, exploring innovative models and providing solutions that promote the development of Africa's transportation, logistics, tourism and other sectors, and contribute to the better development of global new civil aviation."
About EHang
EHang Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:EH) is the world's leading urban air mobility ("UAM") technology platform company. Our mission is to make safe, autonomous, and eco-friendly air mobility accessible to everyone. EHang offers unmanned aerial vehicle ("UAV") systems and solutions to customers across a range of industries, including air mobility (such as passenger transportation and logistics), smart city management, and aerial media services. The EH216-S is the world's first pilotless, human-carrying electric vertical takeoff and landing ("eVTOL") aircraft to receive a type certificate ("TC"), production certificate ("PC"), and standard airworthiness certificate ("AC") from the Civil Aviation Administration of China ("CAAC"). In 2025, the CAAC also issued the first batch of Air Operator Certificates ("OC") for civil, human-carrying pilotless aerial vehicles to two operators of the EH216-S eVTOL aircraft. As the forerunner of cutting-edge UAV technologies and commercial solutions in the global UAM industry, EHang continues to explore the boundaries of the sky to bring the benefits of advanced flight technologies to everyday life in smart cities. To learn more, please visit www.ehang.com.
About China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC)
China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is one of China's earliest large-scale state-owned enterprises in international engineering contracting. CRBC undertakes projects in roads, bridges, ports, railways, airports, real estate, and industrial parks, while also engaging in investment, trade, and industrial operations.
With offices in over 70 countries worldwide, CRBC has completed landmark projects such as the Mombasa–Nairobi Railway in Kenya, the Karakoram Highway in Pakistan, the CICES–Tuba Expressway in Senegal, the Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville Expressway in Cambodia, the Zemun–Borča Bridge in Serbia, the Pelješac Bridge in Croatia, and the Maputo Bridge in Mozambique, earning multiple domestic and international awards. The "CRBC" brand is widely recognized in the global engineering contracting industry.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to" and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about management's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to those relating to certifications, our expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, our products and solutions and the commercialization of UAM services, our relationships with strategic partners, and current litigation and potential litigation involving us. Management has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While they believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond management's control. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause EHang's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
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