In a Twitter post, eVTOL manufacturer EHang reports it has completed its latest island-hopping autonomous flight demonstration in Okinawa, the seventh city it has flown in Japan, alongside its helicopter charter partner AIROS Skyview.
According to the Twitter post: “Between Iheya island and Noho island, the flights marks Japan’s first island-hopping flights of an autonomous eVTOL. Besides, EH216-S conducted vertical take-off and landing, circled flight over the ground and sea, to measure the impact of air mobility operations to environment and obtain data to support vertiport maintenance. “It does not require a large landing facility like a helicopter, and it would be a revolution in air transportation. I would like to promote the innovation of aerial tourism in the near future.” Said Takeya Hirano, General Manager of the Planning and Development Department of Japan Airport Consulting Co., Ltd.
“These island-hopping flights also mark the first flight after EHang been inducted as a member of Japan’s Public-Private Committee for Advanced Air Mobility this April.”
As of May, EHang reports its EH216 autonomous air vehicle had conducted over 37,000 safe test flights across 12 countries in Asia, Europe and the Americas.
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In Okinawa, the 7th city we have flew in Japan, #EH216-S completed island-hopping autonomous flights alongside our partner @airos_skyview yesterday. Between Iheya island and Noho island, the flights marks Japan's first island-hopping flights of an autonomous… pic.twitter.com/Y1z08W8gtl
— EHang (@ehang) June 8, 2023