The smart people at Chinese drone manufacturing company EHang must have seen all those videos of people precariously hanging onto in their wanton abuse of agricultural drones, and they thought: probably now is the right time to populate the world with real passenger drone technology.

And that is exactly what they are doing.

Shortly after announcing that it had entered a partnership agreement with the Wencheng County government in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province in eastern China, EHang has moved swiftly to make good its promise by suppling 27 passenger drone units – the EH216-S – to the county’s Transportation Development Group.

The drones are expected to kickstart plans by EHang and Wencheng County to boost the low altitude economy in the area through drone integration.

The cooperation agreement binds both parties to jointly develop unmanned air mobility (UAM) in Wengcheng and support public service ecosystems for the low-altitude economy by exploring commercial operations for tourism, transportation, logistics, emergency response, among others.

In the same vein, a dedicated take-off and landing site and supporting amenities for the EH216-S has been established at the Baizhangji Fall and Feiyun Lake scenic resort.

The UAM operation centre and supporting infrastructure will also be established in other areas in Wencheng, that include Tianding Lake, in preparation for launching the EH216-S aerial sightseeing services; and benchmark low-altitude cultural tourism.

The agreement also saw Wencheng County making a down payment of 50 percent for 30 EH216-S passenger drones, with the remainder to be settled upon delivery.

“This year marks an important beginning of Wencheng’s low-altitude economy development. Wencheng will fully leverage its advantages, including its clean airspace, rich terrain, and unique locations, to vigorously develop the low-altitude economy,” said Mr. Zhaozheng Luo, Secretary of Wencheng County Government.

“By innovating with this emerging industry, we will jointly explore new business models with EHang, accelerating the integration ecosystem of low-altitude applications, scenic attractions and the local culture. Bringing low-altitude scenarios forward to flourish across Wencheng will nurture low-altitude industries, empower diverse business models, and refine low-altitude service management for efficiency and safety.

The time frame to fully set up this project has been set for a year.

To mark the launch of this low altitude tourism initiative in Wencheng, the EH216-S aircraft completed its debut passenger-carrying flight, carrying multiple passengers for a sightseeing tour over the Tianding Lake at the Baizhangji Fall & Feiyun Lake Scenic Resort, a location offering views of Wencheng’s natural beauty.

 “Following the obtainment of the Type Certificate, Standard Airworthiness Certificate and Production Certificate for our EH216-S, we’ve received a surge in bulk orders from customers and partners globally, which is a testament of the market recognition of our innovative pilotless eVTOL products and solutions, as well as the robust demand for UAM and low-altitude economy development worldwide,” said Zhao Wang, Chief Operating Officer of EHang.

“With the deliveries for the initial batch of orders to Wencheng and the local debut flight of the EH216-S, we will join with Wencheng to establish a benchmark for low-altitude economy operations in Zhejiang Province, driving the growth of the industry in the East China region and promoting the widespread adoption of the new productivity enabled by pilotless eVTOLs.”

Aside from the 30 units that have already been delivered, Wencheng County has committed to purchase 270 more passenger drones by the end of 2026, and EHang says it has already received a deposit for these too.

The drone company intends to fully take advantage of this partnership to spread its sphere of influence across the eastern China region, through live flights and demonstrations that would generate more sales and after-sales maintenance services.

Well done team EHang. We suppose there is to be a future where people can travel from one point to another using an unmanned aerial service, a stroll around a tourist resort is not a bad start.