Indian eVTOL Aircraft Pioneers Seek Regulatory Progress

India’s aviation sector is pressing the country’s regulators to step up efforts to create a legal framework of new eVTOL aircraft. The process appears to be lagging despite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi having urged the industry to “leapfrog straight into aerial mobility.”

According to R.K. Bali, managing director of India’s Business Aircraft Operators Association, rules governing eVTOL air services are expected to be implemented within two years. At the group’s recent conference in Hyderabad, Kurt Edwards, director general of the International Business Aviation Council said that private sector work on Indian eVTOL models is already “well ahead of the regulator.”

For example, Bengaluru-based Sarla Aviation, founded by former Lilium engineers and backed by venture capital group Accel and Indian entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath, is developing the Shunya eVTOL. According to the start-up, the hybrid-electric six-seater will have range of up to around 435 nm, or 82 nm in all-electric mode, and with cruise speeds of up 136 knots.

Sarla, which has already established a manufacturing facility, is targeting type certification and the launch of commercial flights in 2029. The company said that the first air taxi services will operate to and from Bengaluru International Airport, with longer-term plans to establish a network of vertiports in Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune.

Last year, Chennai‑based ePlane started flight testing a full-scale example of its e200X eVTOL aircraft, and said it has completed transition flights. The two-seater is intended for short urban trips, with a maximum range of around 33 nm.

Planned commercial air taxi operators include business aviation group JetSetGo, which last week placed pre-orders with UK manufacturer Vertical Aerospace for 50 of its six-seater Valo aircraft. Through an agreement with InterGlobe Enterprises, U.S.-based Archer Aviation has an agreement for its IndiGo airline subsidiary to deploy up to 200 of its four-passenger Midnight vehicles.