Passenger drones could offer a solution for the hassle of airport traffic and parking problems. EHang BVLOS trial flights for airport transport and parcel delivery have now been completed in Estonia, under the European Union’s GOF 2.0 Integrated Urban Airspace Validation project.
An EHang (Nasdaq: EH) spokesperson says that the flights are of major significance: “These trial flights are among the first wave of trials in the two-year GOF 2.0 project, with the focus of entry to and exit from defined airspaces,” says EHang. “The trials demonstrate how manned and unmanned aviation can enter and leave various types of airspace, such as controlled and uncontrolled airspace and U-space airspace.”
The trial was made possible by a Special Permit issued by the Estonian Transport Administration to EHang for trial flights in designated Estonian airspace until the end of 2021. EHang has already conducted trial flights of passenger-grade AAVs in 10 countries across Asia, Europe, and North America. EHang has made agreements with European cities including Seville, Spain, to bring urban air mobility to the continent. In South Korea, the government says that urban air mobility and AAV transport will be commercialized within a few years.
The EHang BVLOS trial flights in Estonia bring passenger drone transport closer: EHang’s newest models are designed for long-range, intercity transport.
The EHang 216 is the first passenger-grade AAV to have conducted BVLOS trial flights in Estonian airspace. During the live trials, the EHang 216 performed a flight mission of passenger VIP transport scenario from the Tartu Airport to the Estonian Aviation Museum, no passenger onboard, to demonstrate the uses cases and scenarios of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) intra-urban and peri-urban flights.
Moreover, the EHang Falcon logistics model completed a flight mission of parcel delivery from the Tartu Airport to a cargo terminal at the Estonian Aviation Museum, to demonstrate the uses cases and scenarios of automated parcel delivery drones operating at low level.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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