AAV company EHang Holdings is entering into strategic partnerships with Zhuhai Da Heng Qin Pan-Tourism Development, Zhuhai Huafa Sports Operations Management and Flying World (Zhuhai) Technology to jointly initiate UAM operations for aerial sightseeing and other air mobility services in the Hengqin New Area, the largest island and a Free Trade Zone in southeast Zhuhai in the Guangdong Province of China. By establishing AAV experience centres and a suite of supporting service systems, EHang's vehicles will be integrated into the daily life of the local population.

During a signing ceremony held on 8 January, a fleet of EH216 AAVs made passenger-carrying flights from Tianqin Park in Hengqin New Area. The flights were seen by local government officials, enterprise representatives, the media and local residents. A total of 36 passengers flew in the autonomous EH216, enjoying safe and comfortable aerial sightseeing trips. Through this event, EHang demonstrated its leading-edge technology for the centralised management of simultaneous flights of multiple AAVs in distributed operations under the command-and-control systems.

Li Weihui, deputy secretary of the Hengqin New Area says: “We warmly welcome the arrival of EHang passenger-grade AAVs to Hengqin. We believe this new style of intelligent air mobility will have more and better uses and will flourish in our beautiful Hengqin New Area.”

Resting on the west bank of the Pearl River estuary, the Hengqin New Area is regarded as the core of Pearl River Delta and boasts a unique geographical location adjacent to Hong Kong and Macau. With an advantageous geographical location, pleasant natural scenery and rich tourism resources, it boasts favourable conditions and market demand for the development of short- and medium-haul urban air transportation. According to the Outline of the Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Overall Development Plan of Hengqin issued by the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Hengqin will become a demonstration area for in-depth cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau and an international leisure and tourism destination suitable for living, working and travel, accelerating the integrated development of tourism in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Lu Ting, CEO of Flying World (Zhuhai) adds: “We are excited to cooperate with EHang and other strategic partners. By leveraging EHang's world's leading AAV technology and strong support from local government, we see promising market development potential and are confident that we can integrate air mobility services into the leisure and tourism industry in Hengqin. We believe this effort can gradually expand across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to form synergistic operations and development.”