EHang has successfully completed a series of trial air taxi flights with its EH216-S pilotless electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft in the core district of Doha, Qatar.
The flights were conducted in close partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Transport (MoT) and represent the first urban flights of a pilotless eVTOL aircraft in the Middle East. The trial operations included point-to-point and human-carrying flights, specifically between the Port of Doha and the Katara Cultural Village, a prominent city landmark. This route served as a proof of concept for an aerial shuttle service connecting transport hubs with key urban destinations, transforming a 30-minute car journey into an 8-minute sustainable flight. EHang noted that this demonstration provides a global reference model for scenario-based flight in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM).
Executed with the operational authorization from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) and strategic support from the MoT, the flights align with Qatar’s pioneering vision to lead smart and sustainable mobility solutions, which is part of its Qatar National Vision 2030. The success is the result of close collaboration between EHang, the MoT, and the QCAA to ensure regulatory, safety, and operational readiness.
Minister of Transport of the State of Qatar, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Thani, described the trial operation as a, “New milestone in the State of Qatar’s journey of adopting smart and sustainable mobility solutions and constitutes an advanced step forward toward a future enabled by innovation and environment-friendly technologies, something that emphasizes MOT’s commitment to enhancing Qatar’s regional and international pioneering position in modern transportation and supporting national efforts to reduce carbon emissions and improve the quality of life.”
He added that the initiative is a, “True translation of the MoT Strategy 2025-2030 that aims at creating a smart, resilient transportation system where sustainability, innovation, and integration between various transportation modes are front and center, thereby boosting the efficiency of the country’s transportation system and advancing the goals of the Third National Development Strategy (NDS3) and Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV2030).”
Victoria Jing Xiang, Chief Operating Officer for Europe & LatAm at EHang, stated, “These groundbreaking flights mark the first-ever trial operations of a pilotless eVTOL aircraft for passenger transport in a Middle Eastern city center.”
Xiang offered thanks to the MoT and the QCAA for their “vision, support, and trust,” adding, “Together, we are building a safe, intelligent, and efficient regional AAM ecosystem.”
The campaign is intended to pave the way for a strategic alliance between EHang and the MoT to jointly develop and deploy AAM solutions. The pilotless air taxi project will proceed in several consecutive phases, considering all relevant technical, operational, and regulatory requirements, including infrastructure readiness and the approval of operational systems.
Future development will focus on shuttle services between airport and urban centers, air taxi corridors serving tourism and high-traffic zones, and integrating eVTOL systems into Qatar’s multimodal transport strategy. The MoT will continue assessing test results to establish the necessary regulatory and technical frameworks for approving and operating this type of mobility.
