EHang Thailand AAM sandbox reaches landmark: first urban sandbox human-carrying flight of Pilotless eVTOL with CAAT Director-General Aboard

EHang announced successful launch of an urban human-carrying flight event in Bangkok with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and local partners. Air Chief Marshal Manat Chavanaprayoon, Director General of CAAT, personally boarded and experienced the experimental flight, becoming the world’s first civil aviation authority chief globally to ride the pilotless EH216-S on an urban flight. This marks another milestone in EHang’s global AAM commercialization layout.

Director General of CAAT, stated: “The advanced technology and autonomous safety performance demonstrated by the EH216-S are impressive. This flight demonstration represents not only a significant milestone in the development of AAM technologies which is expected to transform future air transportation systems, but forms part of Thailand’s ongoing efforts to become an Aviation Hub in the region. CAAT is committed to serving both as a regulator and a facilitator to ensure that modern aviation technologies can be safely and effectively implemented. We look forward to seeing Thailand achieve a breakthrough in establishing air routes connecting airports and urban areas. With the 2026 Advanced Air Mobility Symposium organized by ICAO to be held in Thailand, we expect the country to become a global model for commercialization and large-scale development of AAM in 2026.”

Luong Pham of Aerial Sea ventures, supporting organization for the event, commented: “The EH216-S’s successful flight at core Bangkok landmarks such as the royal-owned SCB headquarters, coupled with the CAAT Director General’s personal participation, not only represents authoritative recognition of cutting-edge autonomous technology but also highlights Thailand’s strategic vision and commitment to embracing transportation innovation and developing its AAM ecosystem.”

Conor Yang, Chief Financial Officer of EHang, said: “This event represents a key practical achievement of EHang’s overseas strategy. By continuously advancing human-carrying flights under the Sandbox Initiative in core urban scenarios such as Bangkok, EHang will further assist the Thai government and CAAT in improving Thailand’s AAM operation and regulatory framework. With the support of the CAAT, Thailand is highly likely to achieve the world’s first commercial eVTOL operations using an innovative regulatory approach of “sandbox”, creating a demonstration model for Southeast Asia and the world. EHang will continue to provide advanced integrated air mobility solutions to benefit more countries across the globe.”

On November 24, EHang officially initiated the urban human-carrying flight event under the AAM Sandbox Initiative at the headquarters of Siam Commercial Bank The event received strong supports from senior Thai government officials, with distinguished attendees including Air Chief Marshal Manat Chavanaprayoon, Han Kok Juan, Director General of Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. Arak Sutivong, Deputy CEO of SCB X Public Company Limited, together with nearly 100 Thai business leaders and media representatives. Under widespread attention, the EH216-S completed a series of takeoffs and landings, as well as route flights. Air Chief Marshal Manat Chavanaprayoon and Dr. Arak Sutivong then boarded the EH216-S to experience a pilotless urban flight. The aircraft flew smoothly in the Bangkok’s core business district, with the Director General waving to audience, drawing extended applause.

Under the support and oversight of the CAAT, the EHang work team, led by Senior Vice President Hu Longxuan, who oversees commercial operations department, dedicated full efforts to ensure the complete success of this flight event. This marked the first time EHang conducted overseas on-site demonstrations and validation of the EH216-S's comprehensive emergency scenario safety capabilities. During this collaboration, EHang and CAAT’s UAM team held in-depth discussions on four core pillars: flight safety, product technology, after-sales maintenance, and operating systems. Together they validated the EH216-S’s safety and commercial feasibility through nine extreme scenario tests and four dedicated technical exchanges. CAAT’s team expressed high recognition for EHang’s systematic support capabilities, including continuous airworthiness, full-lifecycle technical support, spare parts supply, professional talent training, and rapid maintenance support.

This overseas on-site demonstration and verification validated the EH216-S’s reliable performance under extreme conditions and its commercial operational readiness, highlighting EHang’s leadership in autonomous flying technology and end-to-end service capabilities. It establishes a solid technical foundation and regulatory trust, paving the way for the EH216-S to launch regular commercial operations under the Thailand’s AAM Sandbox Initiative.

As the world’s first pilotless human-carrying eVTOL company to obtain the Type Certificate, Production Certificate, and Standard Airworthiness Certificate from China’s Civil Aviation Administration, EHang has identified Thailand as one of its core overseas strategic markets. Since completing Bangkok’s debut flight in November 2024 and launching the AAM Sandbox Initiative with continuous trial operations in October 2025, EHang has consistently advance the initiative with “safety first” approach. As a key achievement of Thailand’s Sandbox Initiative, the EH216-S not only maintained stable performance in point-to-point pilotless flight but also demonstrated strong adaptability to Bangkok’s traffic congestion and tourism scenarios across typical urban environments. According to plans, EHang will collaborate with local partners to gradually expand the sandbox area to popular destinations such as Pattaya, Phuket, and Koh Samui, building a diversified low-altitude route network covering urban commuting and aerial tourism.