Sarla aviation shunya air taxi: Aerospace startup Sarla Aviation showcased its air taxi (Air Taxi) in front of the world during the Bharat Mobility Global Expo held in Delhi early this year. Now the company is going to start a commercial operation of air taxi flying in the air soon in some big cities of the country. The company will first start it in Bangalore and then in other cities.
The company’s CEO and co-founder Adrian Schmidt says that the first service will be launched in Bengaluru, after this, electric air taxi will be launched in Mumbai and Delhi a few months. In a statement to the media on the occasion of the Startup Mahakumbh, Adrian said, “The company aims to start air taxi services in the rest of the country within 5 years of launching in Bengaluru.
When will air taxi service start:
Sarla Aviation is aiming to start its services in the country in 2028. The company is expanding rapidly to its team to give its plan as soon as possible. The team of the company, which started with 20 employees in January, has now reached 47 people. Schmid said that by the end of the year the company aims to include 80-120 employees. Last year, he planned to start a flying taxi service in collaboration with Bangalore International Airport.
The company has also raised $ 10 million in the series A funding round led by Excel. In which other Angel investors including Binny Bansal of Flipkart, Nikhil Kamath and Sriharsha Majeti of Swigi have also participated. Schmid has also clarified that, the main objective of the company is to become a manufacturing firm, not service provider. They are also ready to supply electric air taxi to other companies.
Sarla Aviation plans to launch 30 flying air taxis in Bengaluru by 2028 with a $ 10 million funding led by Excel. Which will be expanded to Mumbai and Delhi. Designed for small urban trips, these taxis aim to reduce travel time by promoting air mobility in India.
What is special in shunya air taxi:
At present, the company has introduced a prototype of zero and by reaching the production ready model, it can see many changes. The company says that this air taxi can fly in the air at a speed of up to 250 kmph. It is designed to travel up to 160 km with modern battery technology. But it will be used to travel 25-30 km. Not only this, 6 passengers and a driver can sit together in it. This air tracks are capable of lifting a maximum weight of 680 kg.
Great Cabin:
The cabin of this air taxi will be equipped with advanced features and technology. Apart from 6-seater and 4-seater configuration, it can also be customized as cargo. Which will not only be used as a passenger vehicle but can also be used as a goods carrier. Since it is an EVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) vehicle, it will not need any big runway to fly in the air. It will be able to fly directly in the air from its place.
Although the company has not yet told any duty figure about the fare of this air taxi, but the company says that it will be tried to keep it economical. So that people can use it as a daily ride.
Air taxi in data:
| Seating capacity | 1 pilot and 6 passengers |
| Propulsion | 7 electric motors |
| Top speed | 250 km/h |
| Payload capacity | 680 kg |
| Flying range | 160 km |
What is the preparation of the government:
The central government is also working on a plan to prepare basic infra to introduce air taxis by 2026. In September last year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued guidelines to obtain a flight qualification certificate for electric vertical take-off and landing (EVTOL) aircraft. Apart from this, the domestic airline IndiGo has also ordered 200 air taxis to another aerospace firm Archer in California. Archer Aviation plans to launch its electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle “Midnight” in 2026.
Photo courtesy: Sarla Aviation