Saudi Arabia is on course to introduce the first advanced air mobility test flights as early as November 2025 following the September 25 announcement of EHang’s partnership with Saudi Arabian companies Front End Limited Company and Cluster 2 Airports, to deploy autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs) for passenger and cargo transport across the Kingdom.
Urban Air Mobility News has asked project partners for an update on plans and more details of initial services and will report further developments.
The project will also involve the development of a UAS traffic management system to safely integrate unmanned aircraft into the airspace.
The partners plan to begin initial test flights in November followed by a roll-out of commercial services to Cluster2’s 22 airports in 2026 and 2027, according to press report.
“We will begin this November with passenger rides – a historic step that will mark the first time these aircraft are carrying paying customers in the kingdom,” Majid Alghaslan, chairman and chief executive of Front End, told The National press outlet in September. As well as passenger flights in EHang 216-S AAVs the partners are also deploying the EH216-L logistics version.
In June 2024, Front End and EHang carried out EH-216 trials in Makkah.
In November 2024 UrbanV, the Italian vertiport network operator and Cluster2 signed a partnership to implement AAM solutions at airports managed by Cluster2 Airports, while ensuring compliance with the regulations of the General Authority of Civil Aviation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
For more information
A world first: autonomous air taxi operations launch in Saudi Arabia