EHang completes pilotless passenger eVTOL flight in Kazakhstan
EHang has completed Central Asia’s first pilotless passenger eVTOL flight in Kazakhstan.
The company’s EH216-S electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft flew multiple routes over the Games of the Future 2026 venue in Astana. The flights carried Kazakhstan Transport Minister Nurlan Sauranbayev and other guests.
The demonstration followed Kazakhstan’s introduction in June of an initial national framework for eVTOL aircraft, vertiports and unmanned aircraft traffic management systems. Senior officials, including presidential assistant Yesekeyev Kuanyshbek, Deputy Transport Minister Lastayev Talgat Tleubekovich and Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan Chief Executive Michael E. Daniel, attended the event.
Kazakhstan’s transport ministry said the first phase of the project will focus on demonstration and tourism flights lasting five to 30 minutes. The flights are intended to showcase natural, cultural and historical landmarks, with autonomous aircraft later potentially joining the urban transport network.
EHang signed a memorandum of understanding with Allur Group in 2025 to develop advanced air mobility markets in Central Asia. The company said the EH216-S has now flown in 23 countries across five continents, underscoring its push to turn pilotless passenger aircraft from demonstration technology into a practical low-altitude mobility option.