EHang Holdings has achieved a landmark milestone in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) by conducting the world’s first urban human-carrying flight of a pilotless eVTOL with a national aviation authority leader on board. Air Chief Marshal Manat Chavanaprayoon, Director-General of Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAT), personally experienced a flight in the autonomous EH216-S aircraft over Bangkok’s central business district. This event, part of Thailand’s AAM Sandbox Initiative, signals a major step toward the regulatory approval and commercial operation of unmanned passenger air taxi services in Southeast Asia.
The demonstration, held at the Siam Commercial Bank headquarters, included a series of takeoffs, landings, and route flights under the observation of nearly 100 government officials, business leaders, and media representatives. Following this public flight, EHang completed an extensive overseas validation for CAAT, performing nine rigorous scenario tests that demonstrated the aircraft’s safety and reliability in extreme emergency conditions. The validation covered flight safety, technical systems, maintenance, and operational protocols, earning strong approval from CAAT for EHang’s comprehensive support ecosystem.
This successful sandbox initiative builds both technical and regulatory confidence for launching regular commercial eVTOL services in Thailand. EHang plans to expand operations to major tourist destinations such as Pattaya and Phuket, creating a low-altitude transportation network for urban commuting and aerial tourism. With the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) selecting Thailand to host its 2026 AAM Symposium, the country is positioning itself as a global model for AAM commercialization, potentially achieving the world’s first commercially operational pilotless air taxi system through a regulated sandbox approach.
