The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has issued an airworthiness certificate to EHang for its EH216-S autonomous eVTOL aircraft. The approval confirms that examples of the two-seater manufactured at the company’s Yunfu factory conform to the type certificate for the two-seat design awarded in October and adhered the air safety agency’s standard production process under its supervision.

Announcing the approval on December 21, EHang reported that the first certified EH216-S covered by the airworthiness certificate was delivered this week to aviation technology group Eton. The company is a subsidiary of the government-backed Guangzhou Development District Communications Investment Group based in the Chinese city’s Huangpu district. It intends to use the pilotless vehicle for tourist flights.

“We are thrilled to receive the world’s first certified passenger-carrying UAV from Ehang, and are proud of our Guangzhou local enterprise for this groundbreaking achievement,” said Chengjiu Zhou, general manager of Eton’s parent company. “With EHang’s leading-edge, safer, greener, more efficient, and certified passenger-carrying UAV solutions, as well as robust local government support in infrastructure and investment, we look forward to spearheading the development of the local low-altitude economy.”

Guangzhou-based EHang is preparing to start series production for the 455 EH216-S aircraft it says now constitute its backlog of orders. Of these, 245 are from customers in China, and 210 are from overseas (mainly within Asia). The company says it aims to achieve its first foreign type certificate within the next 12 months to allow commercial exports to begin.