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.

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Saudi Arabian officials have given further encouragement to eVTOL aircraft manufacturers by signaling their intention to fast-track commercial air taxi operations. According to reports in the government-controlled Saudi Press Agency, Saleh Al-Jasser, the country’s Minister of Transport and Logistics Services and chairman of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), intends to approve eVTOL aircraft to be used to carry pilgrims between holy sites, as well as for services such as emergency medical support and carrying medical supplies.
On June 12, with special approval from GACA, China’s EHang demonstrated its two-seat autonomous EH216-S aircraft in Mecca. The event was staged with the company’s new local partner Front End, which is supporting EHang’s efforts to get its first eVTOL model approved for use in the Saudi market.
Along with other eVTOL developers, including <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/news-article/2024-02-12/dubai-gives-joby-exclusive-rights-local-evtol-air-taxi-market">Joby</a>, <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2024-03-11/falcon-and-archer-launch-abu-dhabi-dubai-evtol-flights">Archer</a>, Eve, <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/news-article/2022-11-01/volocopter-draws-182-million-funding-saudi-chinese-interests">Volocopter</a>, and <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/news-article/2022-10-26/saudi-arabian-airlines-and-lilium-agree-develop-evtol-network-saudi-arabia">Lilium</a>, EHang is targeting Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states as early adopters of advanced air mobility (AAM). The first step will be getting GACA to validate their type certificates, and EHang has an edge here in that its Chinese certification was issued back in October 2023, with approval for series production granted in April 2024.
“This flight marks a major advancement in integrating AAM solutions into Saudi Arabia’s aviation landscape,” commented Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, president of GACA. “We are committed to the highest safety standards and its seamless integration into existing air traffic systems. This flight also acts as a proof of concept for multiple use cases and contributes to various AAM roadmap initiatives.”
According to Louis Liu, founder and CEO of Beijing-based AAM consultancy DAP Technologies, other Chinese eVTOL pioneers—including <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2024-04-04/autoflight-delivers-first-prosperity-evtol-and-certifies">AutoFlight</a> and TCab Tech—are gravitating towards the Middle East as a priority export market. In March, TCab Tech said an undisclosed investor from the region had contributed $20 million to its <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2024-03-28/chinese-evtol-aircraft-developer-tcab-raises-20-million">Series A funding round</a>. He pointed to Saudi Arabia’s Neom project to build a new city near the Red Sea as evidence of initiatives that could stimulate eVTOL use cases.
“The Middle East is a very good entry market for eVTOL manufacturers from China, Europe, and the U.S.,” Liu told AIN. “They want to build future cities, and they have the economic base to bear the cost of AAM. The funding environment is much better than other regions.”
Robin Riedel, who co-leads consulting group McKinsey’s Center for Future Mobility, also views the Middle East as a likely launch pad for the world’s first commercial eVTOL operations. “You could even see Joby and Archer flying passengers there before the U.S.,” he told AIN.
At the same time, Riedel also expressed the view that Western AAM manufacturers cannot afford to be complacent about the pace of progress in China. “They have already certified two aircraft [EHang’s EH216-S and AutoFlight’s CarryAll freighter], so the West can’t afford to leave it too long to catch up,” he concluded.
EHang, which—like rivals such as Joby and Archer—is publicly listed on Wall Street, has made a lot of noise about partnerships in China as well as in export markets across Asia and more recently the Gulf region. But it still remains unclear how many aircraft they have actually produced and when they will progress beyond demonstration flights to start regular commercial flights with fare-paying passengers.
“To operate the EH216, they need to have operating certification too,” Liu explained. He said that for its planned sight-seeing flights, approvals equivalent to the U.S. Part 91 rules will be sufficient in China, but for commercial air taxi services, it will need the local equivalent of Part 135, which Joby and Archer have already secured in the U.S.
“In my view, this is why EHang hasn’t yet started mass delivery and operations,” Liu concluded. “They need to do this step by step and follow the airworthiness regulations from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.”

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Saudi Arabia this week signaled its intention to create a fast-track to early eVTOL aircraft use cases, with China's EHang demonstrating its EH216-S model.

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