Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Since its early days as an eVTOL aircraft pioneer, China’s EHang has craved a global profile, and Europe was the first territory outside its homeland where it embarked on its mission to win friends and influence people who it felt might support its efforts to develop urban air mobility (UAM). Back in 2017, it first flew a concept for its early EH184 Autonomous Aerial Vehicle in Austria, and in April 2019 a flight demonstration by the larger EH216 model at a soccer stadium in Vienna marked one of the first major opportunities for European media to see what was meant by an eVTOL aircraft.
This engagement with Europe didn’t happen randomly. It was part of a well-orchestrated plan by EHang that has seen it forge alliances elsewhere on the continent, including Spain and Norway, where it intends to conduct flight trials under experimental permits, as well as in other countries including Qatar and Canada.
Helping to carry out this plan has been the Austrian aerostructures group FACC, which in 2018 forged a strategic partnership with the Chinese company. Andreas Perotti, director of marketing and communications, has been the main point person for this alliance since the first contact was made in 2017, and he explained to FutureFlight that FACC’s objective has been to help EHang establish&nbsp;“a bridge into Europe.” Part of this work involves advocacy campaigns that included FACC exhibiting the EH216 at the recent VivaTech trade show in Paris, where it caught the attention of no less a dignitary than President Emmanuel Macron.
“Their focus on the European market has always been strong and their goal was to try to achieve regulatory approval [through EASA],” he said. With this in mind, FACC helped to establish the basis for small-scale manufacturing of the eVTOL vehicles at an initial “small scale” rate of 32 examples per month.
Since early 2020, perhaps partly in response to the severe practical difficulties associated with international collaborations in the environment of the Covid pandemic, EHang has focused more on its work in its domestic market. With a close working relationship with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) that most rival eVTOL developers would envy, the company appears to be closing in on type certification for the EH216, perhaps by early 2022. That would signal the full start of commercial operations, potentially a good 12 months or more ahead of Western rivals, albeit only within China.
“There’s a big difference in the cultural mindset [between Chinese and foreign companies],” Perotti commented. “Westerners tend to wait for the whole ecosystem [for a new aircraft] to be ready, but the Chinese tend to view these projects in terms of achieving individual pillars.”
In his view, Western markets for eVTOL aircraft could develop differently from those in China, where there has not been extensive use of private helicopters to date. “What I hope for is a UAM market where we achieve global standardization,” he reflected.
In fact, EHang hasn’t felt the need to wait for type certification to begin fairly extensive trial operations with the flexible compliance of the CAAC. According to Perotti, there are now around 100 of EHang’s eVTOLs being used in designated areas around China.
FACC continues to support EHang with preparations for when the type certification process can begin in earnest in Europe, leveraging its strong connections with EASA. With its expertise in composite materials manufacturing, it is supporting production efforts for the Chinese domestic market but can see a day when there might be a case for establishing a production line in the West. The company has also assisted other international aerospace manufacturing partners, including Abu Dhabi-based Strata.
The Austrian group, which is a specialist in lightweight composite structures, is a public company listed on the Vienna stock exchange, with Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) being its majority shareholder. Perotti stressed that there is no connection between government-backed AVIC and EHang, which has a listing on the New York Stock Exchange. FACC’s Tier 1 aerospace clients include leading aircraft and engine manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Comac, Dassault, Embraer, Leonardo, Pratt &amp; Whitney, Rolls-Royce, and Safran.
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Charles Alcock

French President Emmanuel Macron recently inspected EHang's EH216 eVTOL aircraft during the VivaTech trade show in Paris. (Photo: FACC)

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