Aerofugia, a subsidiary of Geely, a Chinese automaker, has commenced type certification for its AE200 air taxi. According to a report by global media outlet globalsky.media, the first board meeting was held in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in Southwest China. The meeting included over 20 experts, and the company signed a Project Specific Certification Plan (PSCP) with the China Civil Aviation Southwest Area Management Bureau to advance the development and certification process of the AE200.
The AE200 is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and the largest of its kind to complete a maiden flight in China. The five-seater air taxi prototype has a tilt-motor configuration, which allows the front four of its eight sets of propellers to tilt forward during cruise flight.
During the meeting, the company’s president and CTO discussed the AE200 model design, potential operations, airworthiness planning progress, and project development. The AE200 Project Type Certification Committee (TCB) and Project Review Team (TCT) were also formally established.
The TCB and TCT will consider various factors, including the design, flight testing results, production, maintenance, and operation of the aircraft. The committee reviewed and approved the establishment of the professional group of the AE200 project review team, confirmed the qualifications of these team members, and then the two parties formally signed the AE200 Special Certification Plan.
The meeting is a positive indication that the company is making progress towards commercializing the aircraft. The president of Geely stated that the company would work hard to meet certification standards and improve the design based on the requirements and suggestions from the certification board. This meeting means that the airworthiness certification work of the largest eVTOL aircraft in China has entered the stage of determining the necessary requirements for the AE200.
