On December 28, the EHang VT35 long‑range pilotless eVTOL successfully completed its first public flight demonstration at Hefei Bailong Airport, marking a further deepening of the strategic cooperation between the city of Hefei and EHang in the low‑altitude economy and signaling a new phase of scaled and diversified implementation.

As the new‑generation long‑range pilotless passenger aircraft from technology company EHang Intelligent Holdings Limited (hereinafter "EHang"), the VT35 is a compound‑wing electric vertical take‑off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft mainly designed for mid‑to‑long‑distance travel scenarios—such as intercity, cross‑sea, and cross‑mountain routes. Leveraging advantages including autonomous operation, point‑to‑point direct service, and environmental friendliness, it aims to advance the "urban–intercity" low‑altitude ecosystem to a new stage.

The successful maiden flight of the VT35 represents a substantive step forward following the model's debut in Hefei this past October, advancing technical validation and application scenarios. It lays a solid foundation for subsequent airworthiness testing and the expansion of mid‑to‑long‑distance air transport scenarios across cities, islands, and mountainous regions.

Currently, Hefei is leveraging the International Center for the Promotion of Advanced Technology Applications (Hefei) and Guoxian Holdings to strengthen strategic cooperation with EHang and leading local enterprises, accelerating the deployment of eVTOL research and manufacturing, airworthiness certification, commercial operations, and the broader industry ecosystem.

It is reported that Hefei and EHang reached a strategic cooperation on the low‑altitude economy in 2023. Subsequently, EHang established its East China regional headquarters in Hefei and, together with HeYi Aviation, successfully obtained one of the nation's first operation certificates (OC) for uncrewed manned aircraft. They have been advancing routine operations of the EH216‑S at Hefei Luogang Air Traffic Operations Center and the Hefei Urban Air Mobility Hub, and leveraging Hefei’s industrial chain advantages to plan eVTOL manufacturing bases. In August 2025, with the VT35 series product headquarters project officially settling in Hefei, the city's full‑chain capabilities in R&D, manufacturing, airworthiness, supply chain, sales, and training are rapidly being enhanced.

Source: Hefei Evening News