Japan’s First UAM Center Launched

The urban air mobility (UAM) facility in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture serves as a demonstration flight site, ground infrastructure, and maintenance base for EHang’s pilotless eVTOL in the region.

Image Credit: AAM International Media
Story By Joe Macey

Japan’s first UAM Center has been established in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, EHang has revealed.

This state-of-the-art facility serves as a demonstration flight site, ground infrastructure, and maintenance base for EHang’s various pilotless eVTOL aircraft in the region, including EH216-S. This UAM center is a milestone in Japan’s advanced air mobility industry.

During the inauguration ceremony attended by Mr. Tatsuo Igarashi, Mayor of Tsukuba City, the EH216-S pilotless eVTOL successfully completed its first flight in the Kanto region for aerial sightseeing.

The establishment of the UAM Center is the result of a strategic partnership between EHang and AirX Inc. (AirX), a leading Japanese air mobility digital platform company. Situated on the site of the former Helicopter Control and Command Center owned by Ibaraki Prefectural Government, the UAM Center houses hangars with capacity for approximately 25 units of EH216-S aircraft. The shared landing platform, used by both helicopters and eVTOLs, covers an area of around 30,000 square meters.

Developed by AirX in collaboration with Tsukuba Airlines, the UAM Center is designed to meet the evolving needs of next-generation air mobility that encompasses pilotless eVTOL aircraft, helicopters and private jets.

EH216-S pilotless eVTOL successfully completed its debut flight in the Kanto region, Japan

Tezuka Kiwamu, Founder and CEO of AirX, said; “Through the establishment of this UAM Center, our goal is to showcase air mobility flight experiences to the public. In the future, we plan to offer aerial sightseeing services with the cutting-edge EH216-S eVTOL aircraft at this location. Looking ahead, AirX is gearing up to launch additional UAM Centers in Tokyo, solidifying our commitment to spearheading the development of UAM and transforming the future of transportation in Japan.”

Huazhi Hu, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of EHang, added; “Congratulations on the inauguration of Japan’s first UAM Center. This is a key milestone in UAM, bringing us one step closer to introducing a new era of transportation to the public. EHang will continue collaborating with our partners in promoting safe, autonomous, and environmentally friendly UAM solutions in Japan, as we aim to offer our pilotless eVTOLs to a global audience and enhance the lives of people worldwide.”

… notes from SP

Tags: #EVHNews, #UAM, #eVTOL, #AirX,