eVTOL air taxis have moved closer to operational trials in India after Ubifly Technologies, the parent company of The e Plane Company, signed a memorandum of understanding with Noida International Airport to develop vertiports, charging stations and operating procedures for electric aircraft.
The agreement will allocate space within the airport premises for trial runs, vertiport facilities and charging infrastructure. It will also allow the airport and the IIT-Madras-based deep-tech startup to align standard operating procedures for eVTOL services, which are designed to take off and land vertically without conventional runways.
The partnership is intended to support airport-to-airport transit, intra-city commuting and air ambulance services. The companies will also work on vertiport management systems, regulatory procedures and the wider operational ecosystem needed to deploy The e Plane Company’s e200X aircraft.
“Deploying electric air taxis requires more than just building the aircraft. It demands the parallel development of ground infrastructure, regulatory frameworks and operational procedures,” said Dr Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy, founder and director of Ubifly Technologies, according to the company statement cited in the report.
The initial trials will use drones to validate operational models before the company moves to piloted e200X flights, Chakravarthy said. The approach is intended to ensure that airport infrastructure and procedures are prepared by the time the aircraft receive certification.
Vertiports would function as dedicated terminals for eVTOL operations. Unlike a conventional airport terminal, such facilities would need to combine aircraft landing and take-off areas with charging systems, passenger handling arrangements and operating protocols. The MoU brings these requirements into the airport planning process at Noida International Airport.
The company is positioning the aircraft for several types of regional urban mobility. Airport-to-airport travel could connect aviation facilities, while intra-city operations could provide an alternative for selected high-value or time-sensitive journeys. The proposed air ambulance use would extend the aircraft’s role to emergency medical transport, although the supplied report does not specify routes, launch dates, fares or the number of services planned.
The initiative also links a Chennai-based aircraft manufacturer with a major airport project in Uttar Pradesh. The e Plane Company has a manufacturing facility at Thaiyur, on the outskirts of Chennai, and is targeting an initial production scale of 80 aircraft by 2028.
The startup has received approximately Rs 285 crore as optionally convertible debt under the Research, Development and Innovation programme. It has also recently showcased a full-scale passenger aircraft prototype. The funding and prototype development provide the industrial base for the company’s commercialisation plans, while the Noida agreement focuses on the infrastructure and operating systems required on the ground.
The next stage will involve drone trials and the development of the airport’s vertiport, charging and standard operating arrangements. Piloted e200X operations will depend on the aircraft’s certification and the completion of the supporting regulatory and operational framework.
