ePlane, Noida International Airport sign MoU for electric air mobility infrastructure
The partnership will develop vertiports, charging facilities and operating procedures for proposed electric air taxi and ambulance services, with drone trials preceding piloted aircraft operations.
L to R: Chaman Yadav, Brand Strategist, ePlane, Divya Manchanda, EVP Business Partnerships & AAM Strategy, ePlane,Satya Chakravarthy, Founder & Technical Lead, ePlane, Daniel Bircher Managing Director at Zurich Airport International, Christoph Schnellmann Vice Chairman of Noida International Airport
CHENNAI: The ePlane Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Noida International Airport to develop infrastructure and operating systems for advanced air mobility, including proposed electric air taxi and emergency air ambulance services across Delhi-NCR.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the company said the agreement covers ground infrastructure, regulatory operating procedures and vertiport management systems for its flagship e200X electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), the airport’s developer and operator, will allocate space within the airport premises for proof-of-concept trials, vertiports and charging stations. It will also adapt airport operating procedures to accommodate eVTOL services.
The ePlane Company will pursue the necessary clearances from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), alongside aircraft prototyping and flight testing.
The partners will engage with regulators, air traffic control authorities and state governments to develop safety frameworks, vertiport management systems and AI-assisted fleet scheduling linked with smart city systems.
The agreement follows the public unveiling of ePlane’s full-scale e200X PT-01 prototype, which is undergoing ground testing. Potential applications include airport-to-airport travel, intra-city commutes and emergency medical transport.
Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy, founder and director of Ubifly Technologies, which operates as The ePlane Company, said the partnership would allow operational models to be validated through drone trials before progressing to piloted e200X flights. He said aircraft development needed to proceed alongside ground infrastructure and regulatory preparations.
Noida International Airport chairman Daniel Bircher said the collaboration would support the airport’s plans for multimodal connectivity by developing the infrastructure and procedures needed for future air mobility services.
Founded in 2019 and incubated at IIT Madras, The ePlane Company develops electric aircraft for passenger, medical and cargo applications. The proposed services remain subject to aircraft certification and the necessary regulatory clearances.
