EHang Announces the Middle East’s First-Ever Pilotless, Eletric Air Taxi Flights in Doha

(Doha, Qatar) EHang (NASDAQ: EH) announced today (Nov. 17th) that it has completed the Middle East’s first pilotless air taxi flights in the city of Doha; the flights utilized EHang’s EH216-S, a two-seat electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically without a pilot onboard.

Photo of EHang’s pilotless EH216-S conducting a human passenger-carrying flight in Qatar courtesy of EHang.

The announcement was released just after Joby Aviation announced that it completed the UAE’s first piloted point-to-point air taxi flight, which utilized a piloted eVTOL aircraft.

The flight tests were carried out with support from Qatar’s Ministry of Transport and approved by the country’s Civil Aviation Authority, and one of the key demonstrations was an eight-minute trip between the Port of Doha and the Katara Cultural Village, per Ehang.

EHang noted in its press release that the same trip normally takes around 30 minutes by car, demonstrating how short flights like this could help ease busy traffic.

Ehang’s release explains that the demonstration flights are intended to show how air taxis could work in everyday city settings, not just in testing zones.

By completing “point-to-point” trips between two well-known locations, the project offered a real example of how a small, automated aircraft could connect different parts of a city; EHang says the results will help aviation officials in Qatar, and other countries, shape future rules for this type of travel.

Qatar’s Minister of Transport, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Thani,said the flights mark an important step in the country’s plans to adopt cleaner and more modern transportation options. According to him, the project fits into Qatar’s long-term goals for improving mobility, reducing emissions, and supporting new technologies.

Photo of Qatar’s Minister of Transport and Ms. Victoria Jing Xiang, EHang’s Chief Operating Officer for Europe & LatAm with EHang’s EH216-S courtesy of EHang.

Victoria Jing Xiang, EHang’s COO for Europe and Latin America, said, “These groundbreaking flights mark the first-ever trial operations of a pilotless eVTOL aircraft for passenger transport in a Middle Eastern city center. We sincerely thank the MOT and the Civil Aviation Authority of Qatar for their vision, support, and trust. Together, we are building a safe, intelligent, and efficient regional AAM ecosystem.”

EHang says the Doha trial is only the beginning of its planned initiatives; the company and Qatar’s Ministry of Transport plan to continue studying routes, infrastructure needs, and safety requirements before deciding how air taxis could be used more widely. Possible future services include flights from the airport to downtown areas, routes for visitors in busy tourist zones, and links that support Qatar’s larger transportation network.

With these completed flights, EHang and Qatar say they are taking early steps toward making small, automated aircraft a practical option for short urban trips in the future.