ePlane Partners Empire Aviation To Deploy Air-Taxis Across India, Other Markets

Advanced air mobility startup The ePlane Company has entered into a strategic partnership with Dubai-based Empire Aviation Group to deploy electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles across India, UAE, Thailand and Indonesia.

The partnership is aimed at fast-tracking the deployment of eVTOL air taxis and air ambulances across India and the aforementioned international markets, laying the groundwork for global expansion in urban air mobility, the company said in a statement.

Empire Aviation Group, which provides integrated business aviation solutions, will leverage its expertise in aviation operations, including safety protocol, SOPs and fleet management, to enable market entry of ePlane’s eVTOL aircraft.

This comes amid reports that The ePlane Company inked an over $1 Bn deal with Bengaluru-based ICATT to deploy 766 air ambulances across all districts in India.

Founded in 2019 by IIT Madras professor Satya Chakravarthy, ePlane is developing India’s first electric flying taxi at a time when the country is grappling with worsening traffic congestion in metropolitan cities.

ePlane’s eVTOLs have a promised range of 110 km, a maximum speed of 200 km/h, a seating capacity of two passengers, or payload capacity of up to 200 kg.

Meanwhile, the startup’s agricultural drones and a 2 kg payload eVTOL drone, according to Chakravarthy, are set for certification by early 2025.  These drones, aimed at logistics, inspections, and long-distance deliveries, have already attracted interest from sectors such as agriculture and logistics.

The eVTOL manufacturing company claims to have raised $19 Mn in funding to date and competes with the likes of Archer Aviation, Sarla Aviation, BluJ, and Nalwa among others.

The company will kick off commercial operations by the latter half of the fiscal year 2025-26 (FY26) and is targeting an initial production capacity of 100 units a year, Chakravarthy reportedly said earlier.

While India’s eVTOL market is still at a nascent stage, investors are increasingly betting on new-age tech companies offering flying taxi services. For instance, aerospace startup Sarla Aviation raised $10 Mn in a Series A funding round led by Accel last month.

It is pertinent to note that India’s civil aircraft fleet has more than doubled from around 400 in 2014 to over 800 flying taxis currently. The fleet size is expected to further expand, fuelled by favourable government initiatives and large orders from airlines including Air India, IndiGo and Akasa Air. 

In August last year, the Centre permitted 100% foreign direct investment via automatic route for the aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sector. This is expected to further drive growth and investment in India’s aviation market, poised to become a $26 Bn opportunity by 2030.