India Considers Being Part of Global eVTOL Initiative

The Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation, Rajiv Bansal, has expressed India’s willingness to embrace changes occurring in the aviation industry and has stated that India wants to be part of the global eVTOL initiative.

Bansal is aware that nations like the United States, the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and China have already committed to building vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and the supporting infrastructure.

“eVTOL’s future is not as far as it seems. It is much closer than what it appears. We are in 2023, and in 2025 this global dream will become a reality. India very much wants to be part of this global initiative,” he said at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Advanced & Short Haul Air Mobility (ASHA) 2023 event in Bengaluru, which delved into the prospects for India in the eVTOL and AAM industries.

Bansal also wants feedback from the eVTOL and advanced air mobility (AAM) sectors pertaining to what role India can play in terms of air traffic management, as well as the responsibility of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Amit Dutta, Chairman of the CII Task Force on Advanced Air Mobility, sees huge potential in short-haul air mobility services since India is undergoing significant urbanization, saying that the use of eVTOLs would be a lot more environmentally friendly in comparison to helicopters.

“As our country is transforming from India living in villages to over 50% of the population in urban centers in the foreseeable future, traditional mobility platforms on terra firma would be grossly insufficient. Short-haul air mobility services are the next big disruption waiting to happen,” he said.

With vast expanse, accessibility concerns, and traffic congestion in the country, the Indian government is exploring the potential of the futuristic eVTOL aircraft market, and India’s Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that several eVTOL companies in the US and Canada could be persuaded to set up manufacturing plants in India.

FlyBlade India, a joint venture between Blade Air Mobility and Hunch Ventures, announced a strategic partnership with Embraer’s Eve Air Mobility in 2022 by ordering up to 200 eVTOL vehicles from Eve to further develop the urban air mobility ecosystem in India.

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