Regulation · China
Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)
For the EH216-S, EHang describes four CAAC approvals that are not interchangeable: a type certificate, a standard airworthiness certificate, a production certificate, and air operator certificates. Only the type certificate approves the design.
EHang said the CAAC issued a type certificate for the EH216-S design on October 13, 2023, and that the CAAC had accepted the application in January 2021 and published special conditions for that aircraft in February 2022. EHang describes the type certificate as approval that the model design meets CAAC safety and airworthiness requirements.
EHang said a standard airworthiness certificate followed on December 21, 2023 for an individual EH216-S. EHang says that certificate confirms the aircraft conforms to the approved type design. It is not a second type certificate.
EHang said a production certificate followed on April 7, 2024. EHang says the production certificate means the manufacturer's quality system meets CAAC requirements and that series aircraft must match the approved type design. EHang says the review used the Regulations on Certification of Civil Aviation Products and Parts (CCAR-21-R4). A production certificate is not a type certificate.
EHang said that on March 30, 2025 the CAAC granted air operator certificates to Guangdong EHang General Aviation and to Hefei HeYi Aviation. Those certificates are held by operators. They are not type certificates.
XPulse, updated October 18, 2026, says the CAAC accepted Aridge's type-certificate application on March 21, 2024 and its production-certificate application on May 9, 2025, and that a July 22, 2026 fast-track list named Aridge, EHang, Volant and AutoFlight. XPulse says the list is a process benefit, not a certificate. Accepting an application is not issuing the certificate.
Volant's English release of October 19, 2026 says the VE25-100 has not yet received a type certificate. The release does not name the authority.
Sources for this note
Where tracked vehicles stand
Rows are limited to vehicles on this site. "In a program" and "target" are not issued certificates.
| Vehicle | Document | Standing | Date | What the source says | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type certificate |
Issued |
EHang says the CAAC issued a type certificate for the EH216-S on October 13, 2023, after accepting the application in January 2021. EHang calls this approval of the aircraft design. EHang's "world's first" wording is the company's claim. |
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Standard airworthiness certificate (not a type certificate) |
Issued |
EHang says the CAAC issued a standard airworthiness certificate for an EH216-S on December 21, 2023, and that the aircraft was delivered to ETON in Guangzhou. EHang says the certificate confirms that individual aircraft matches the approved type design. It is not a type certificate. |
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Production certificate (not a type certificate) |
Issued |
EHang says the CAAC issued a production certificate for the EH216-S on April 7, 2024, under CCAR-21-R4. EHang says it approves the factory's quality system so series aircraft match the type design. It is not a type certificate. |
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Air operator certificate (not a type certificate) |
Issued |
EHang says that on March 30, 2025 the CAAC granted air operator certificates to Guangdong EHang General Aviation and Hefei HeYi Aviation for civil human-carrying pilotless aerial vehicles. Those certificates belong to the operators. They are not a type certificate. |
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Type certificate |
In a program, not issued |
XPulse says China's aviation regulator accepted the type-certificate application for the Land Aircraft Carrier's aircraft on March 21, 2024. Acceptance of an application is not an issued type certificate. XPulse says certification is still required before deliveries. |
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Production certificate (not a type certificate) |
In a program, not issued |
XPulse says the CAAC accepted Aridge's production-certificate application on May 9, 2025. That is not an issued production certificate and not a type certificate. |