EHang Holdings Limited (亿航智能, Nasdaq: EH) said its EH216-S completed Central Asia’s first passenger-carrying flight by a pilotless electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The flight took place during the Games of the Future 2026. According to EHang, the EH216-S carried Kazakhstan’s Minister of Transport, Nurlan Sauranbayev, and other guests on multiple flights above the event venue in the capital.
Kazakhstan Presidential Assistant Kuanyshbek Yesekeyev, Deputy Transport Minister Talgat Lastayev and Michael E. Daniel, chief executive of the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan, attended the event, EHang said.
The milestone followed Kazakhstan’s introduction in June of an initial national regulatory framework covering eVTOL aircraft, vertiports and unmanned traffic-management systems. The framework supports the development of urban air mobility, but the demonstration flight should not be read as the launch of commercial passenger services.
EHang signed a memorandum of understanding with Kazakhstan’s Allur Group in 2025 to explore advanced-air-mobility development in Central Asia. Under the cooperation framework, the parties plan to develop passenger transport, logistics and emergency-response applications, while pursuing airworthiness certification and future commercial deployment of the EH216-S in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport said the initial project plans include demonstration and sightseeing routes over the country’s natural, cultural and historical attractions, with individual flights expected to last between five and 30 minutes.
EHang said the Astana flight expanded the EH216-S’s global flight footprint to 23 countries across five continents. Its flagship aircraft has received type, production and standard airworthiness certificates from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, while operators in China have obtained air operator certificates for pilotless passenger-flight services.
The Astana event offers a concrete overseas demonstration of EHang’s passenger-carrying eVTOL model. The next milestone to watch is whether the Kazakhstan project progresses from demonstration flights and regulatory preparation to local airworthiness approval, route authorization and commercial operations.