Guangzhou (China) seeks to develop a flight safety laboratory in Zaragoza

The Chinese city of Guangzhou has shown its interest in promoting a low-altitude flight safety laboratory in Zaragoza, thus consolidating the Aragonese capital as a benchmark in sustainable mobility. This project seeks to develop advanced technologies for meteorological standardization in low-altitude flights, three-dimensional monitoring, turbulence prediction and the optimization of low-altitude aircraft.

In this context, the Mayor of Zaragoza, Natalia Chueca, received a delegation from Guangzhou on Saturday to strengthen collaboration between the two cities. During the meeting, an agreement was signed between the universities of Zaragoza and Guangzhou, as well as with the company EHang Intelligent, with the aim of promoting research and education in urban air mobility. The signatories were José Antonio Mayoral, rector of the University of Zaragoza; Ouyang Quian, representative of the University of Guangzhou; and Victoria Xiang, on behalf of EHang Intelligent.

Mayor Chueca stressed that Zaragoza is a powerful technological and logistics hub, with a strategic location in southern Europe. She recalled that 65% of Spain ‘s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is generated within a 300-kilometre radius of the city . She also highlighted logistics platforms such as Plaza and the Zaragoza maritime terminal, as well as the freight airport, which have been key to consolidating the city as a test laboratory for companies dedicated to sustainable mobility.

During her speech, the mayor referred to her recent business trip to China and highlighted that, as well as this agreement with EHang, Zaragoza already has a strong presence of Chinese companies such as Cablescom and Teltronic. She also mentioned the imminent implementation of TDG Group, a holding company that has announced an investment of 120 million euros in the city over the next five years.

Chueca highlighted the importance of the signed agreement, mentioning that Guangzhou University is among the top 100 in China and among the top 500 in the world. He also highlighted that EHang Intelligent is the first Urban Air Mobility (UAM) technology company to be listed on the stock exchange worldwide and an innovative leader in this industry. Its flagship aircraft, the EH216-S, is the first of its kind to obtain standard airworthiness certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), marking a milestone in autonomous air mobility.

Finally, the mayor highlighted the University of Zaragoza, which offers 73 university degrees, including six joint programmes, as well as 50 master’s degrees. With 550 years of history, it is the reference university of the Ebro Valley and currently has more than 30,000 students. After signing the agreement, the Guangzhou delegation, headed by its governor, visited Zaragoza City Hall.