India aims to see electric air taxis fly by 2028, with testing scheduled to gather pace next year, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said at the inauguration of Sarla Aviation's headquarters in Bengaluru. The aircraft are classified as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) craft and are being considered as a mobility option for congested metropolitan cities such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi. The Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will continue to work with industry on testing, safety and regulation.

DGCA has granted Design Organisation Approval to Sarla Aviation, a regulatory step in the company's work on its eVTOL aircraft and a precursor to expanded trials. The company describes the design as combining elements of a drone, a helicopter and a conventional aircraft and classifies it as powered-lift. It is being designed to carry six passengers and a pilot and will use seven electric motors, six for vertical lift and one for forward propulsion.

The propulsion system is planned to remain fully electric while the airframe includes space that might allow a turbo-generator to recharge batteries during flight, although primary propulsion will stay electric. Control and certification work will proceed through piloted trials as the company advances testing. The Bengaluru based startup has backing from venture capital firm Accel and investors including Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath and Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal.

Naidu said affordability will be as important as safety and that localisation of manufacturing, other than avionics, could help reduce costs. He indicated airport to city travel times in congested urban areas could fall to around 20-30 minutes from as much as two hours at present, and that eVTOL craft could serve in medical evacuation, air ambulance and cargo roles. Bengaluru airport has an agreement with the company for last mile connectivity and Manipal Hospitals has signed for potential air ambulance services. The minister said the technology could also support an export market for domestically manufactured eVTOL craft.