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Unmanned electric aircraft makes maiden flight in Hong Kong

An unmanned electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft made its maiden demonstration flight in Hong Kong on Friday, as the city pushes to develop…

By Samantha Johnson / August 28, 2026
An unmanned electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft made its maiden demonstration flight in Hong Kong on Friday, as the city pushes to develop a low-altitude economy, with the government aiming to complete drafting relevant legislation by 2027.

The flight marked a collaboration between mainland Chinese autonomous aerial vehicle firm EHang, local transport operator Kwoon Chung Bus Holdings and the city’s technology hub, Cyberport. The flight took place at Cyberport in Pok Fu Lam.

Kwoon Chung, which earlier revealed plans to buy 30 eVTOLs from EHang for more than HK$70 million (US$9 million), intends to deploy some of them for passenger and logistics services in Hong Kong.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said Hong Kong boasted a common law system and civil aviation regulatory standards that were fully aligned with international standards.”

“Mainland low-altitude enterprises conducting risk assessment flights in complex airspace within the city’s ‘Regulatory Sandbox X’ for the low-altitude economy can generate data and regulatory experience that can be directly translated into templates applicable worldwide,” she said.

A regulatory sandbox is a space where software or new technology can be tried out in a pilot scheme or test environment.

EHang’s flagship model, the EH216-S, carried a robot and conducted multiple sorties along predetermined routes, with public demonstrations set to continue until Sunday.

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