EHang today announced the successful launch of an urban human-carrying flight event in Bangkok with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and local partners, under the AAM Sandbox Initiative. Air Chief Marshal Manat Chavanaprayoon, Director General of CAAT, 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, said the company in a press release.
“On November 24, EHang officially initiated the urban human-carrying flight event under the AAM Sandbox Initiative at the headquarters of Siam Commercial Bank (SCB), a Bangkok landmark located in the city’s central business district,” reported EHang. “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.”
This marked the first time EHang conducted overseas on-site demonstrations and validation of the EH216-S’s comprehensive emergency scenario safety capabilities, said the company.
“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.”
According to Air Chief Marshal Manat Chavanaprayoon, Director General of CAAT:” 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 International Civil Aviation Organization (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.”
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