Africa’s first electric air taxi takes to the skies

From the newsletter

Rwanda has become the first country in Africa to showcase a public flight of a self-driving electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The electric air taxi, with a capacity of two passengers, was made by EHang Holdings, a Chinese tech company. The craft took to the skies during the Aviation Africa Summit and Exhibition in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. 

• New to Africa, eVTOLs are future alternatives to helicopters. They may offer efficient urban air mobility, reduce traffic congestion and improve access to remote areas for services like emergency response and package delivery. 

• Rwanda joins Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nigeria and Kenya as the major African countries showing interest in developing or acquiring eVTOLs for tourism and cargo transport.  

More details

• The electric air taxi on show was the EHang EH216-S, a pilotless eVTOL. The showcase was organized in partnership between the Rwandan government and the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), with technical support from EHang.

• Rwanda is hailed as a pioneer in Africa’s drone industry. Zipline, a Rwanda-based company, has become globally renowned for using drones for medical deliveries, which carry blood, platelets, and other essential medical supplies. According to the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure, the eVTOL accelerates the country’s continental leadership in this technology.

• “Rwanda is actively building a future where our cities are more connected and our economy is more dynamic through innovative transport solutions,” said Minister of Infrastructure Jimmy Gasore. He added that the collaboration demonstrates Rwanda’s readiness to foster a progressive regulatory framework for emerging aviation technologies. 

• While Rwanda has become the first country on the continent to fly-test eVTOLs, Ethiopia could beat it to become the first country to deploy them commercially. This is because Africa’s largest carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, is on course to receive two electric air taxis from US-based Archer Aviation in 2026. They have a price tag of around $5 million each.

• The Archer Midnight eVTOL aircraft that Ethiopian Airlines is set to receive has a 161 km range but is optimised for short flights of around 32 km. The airline aims to deploy it to airlift tourists to popular destinations in the country. The American company will provide Ethiopian Airlines with a team of pilots, technicians, and engineers to support the initial deployment of the aircraft. 

• eVTOLs are in their very earliest stages in Africa, which lags way behind other regions when it comes to advancing this new technology. However, while the eVTOLs on display in Rwanda were made in China, a number of African companies are aiming to make some locally. For example, Fahari Aviation, a subsidiary of Kenya’s national carrier Kenya Airways, aims to launch eVTOLs in 2028. 

Our take

• While Ethiopia is specifically targeting the tourism sector for the deployment of eVTOLs, other African countries will likely follow this model of tailoring eVTOL applications to their specific needs, whether it's for medical deliveries, cargo transport, or urban air mobility to bypass traffic in rapidly growing cities. 

• International partners like China and the US will be essential for provision of technology, expertise, and investment for Africa to build the necessary regulatory and physical infrastructure, such as vertiports and air traffic management systems for eVTOLs. 

• Going forward however, Africa should move beyond being a mere consumer of this technology to an active participant in its development. Governments and private sector players ought to invest in training programs for pilots, technicians, and engineers, and establish local assembly or manufacturing facilities to create jobs and foster a self-sustaining eVTOL ecosystem on the continent.