IIT-Madras Based Startup Secures Over $1 Billion Deal to Supply Vertical Take-Off Air Ambulances in India

New Delhi: India is set to get its on-road electric vertical take-off and landing air ambulance service, joining a select group of nations, as the country faces worsening traffic congestion in major cities.

An IIT-Madras-based electric aircraft startup, ePlane Company, has secured a deal worth over $1 billion to supply 788 air ambulances.

The company, ePlane, will supply electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to ICATT, an air ambulance service provider, under a non-binding agreement to deploy them across India’s districts.

EVTOLs aim to transform urban travel by creating battery-powered aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing, offering commuters an escape from traffic jams.

India’s emerging eVTOL market also features companies like Archer Aviation (ACHR.N) and Sarla Aviation.

EPlane plans to begin commercial operations by mid-2026, with an initial production of 100 units annually, according to founder Satya Chakravarthy in an interview with Reuters.

Chakravarthy said, “We can ramp up our production and put things into the market to good use much more effectively with an air ambulance than directly going to an air taxi,” 

“It’s possible for us to ramp up air ambulances a lot more organically, compared to having to go to a rush with an air taxi.” he added.

The aircraft will initially have a range of around 110 kilometers (68.4 miles), with plans to extend it to over 200 kilometers in the future.

Having raised $20 million from investors, ePlane plans to kick-off with three prototypes of its ambulances, designed to carry a pilot, a paramedic, and a patient with a stretcher.

India’s eVTOL market has garnered significant attention, with the government exploring ways to ease airspace regulations to support transportation and delivery services by eVTOLs and drones.

App-based taxi services like Uber are developing and testing prototypes for air taxi services, offering commuters in major cities a chance to bypass traffic congestion.