Emerging electric plane technology to help bridge air connectivity gap in India: Civil aviation secretary

The creation of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) ecosystem in India would align well with the government’s UDAN scheme to boost regional air connectivity, a senior government official has said.

“What are we doing in the UDAN scheme? We have identified some 1,200 routes and a whole lot of unserved and underserved airports to bridge the [air connectivity] gap at the Tier-II and Tier-III levels,” civil aviation secretary Rajiv Bansal said Monday.

Addressing a two-day international conference organised by the apex industry chamber CII on advanced and short-haul air mobility in Bengaluru, Bansal said eVTOLs may help in boosting air connectivity in not only densely populated metros but also in much smaller townships.

Regretting that the growth in the country’s civil aviation industry had not percolated as much to the helicopter and general aviation segments, Bansal said the possibilities offered by eVTOLs may, therefore, open a whole realm in mobility.

“The reason I believe this will happen is in the end, it’s all about one person, the consumer or passenger who drives everything. The shortcomings of a helicopter or a conventional fixed-wing aircraft in requiring a runway or an ATC, those shortcomings will be bridged by devices such as eVTOLs that offer convenience for the consumer,” he remarked.

Indian aviation’s next big initiative

Disclosing the creation of a robust eVTOL ecosystem was the next big step that the country was looking at, he sought the industry’s feedback on its expectations from the central and state governments.

Simultaneously, intense deliberations on issues such as airspace management for manned and unmanned aircraft by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and aviation safety regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in coordination with the Ministry of Defence were also required, he added.

“These [issues] need to be charted to help us navigate the way forward,” stressed Bansal.

Observing that the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for conventional aircraft had a negligible presence in India’s humongous civil aviation market, he said global eVTOL manufacturers must set up shop here to make the most of the country’s potential.   

“It would be a good idea to come closer to the markets which will provide you with growth opportunities as we move forward,” asserted Bansal.

He said the Ministry of Civil aviation would also be looking at commissioning an in-depth study to understand the use case for eVTOLs.

“The eVTOL future is not as far as it seems; it’s much closer. We are in 2023 and by 2025 this would become a reality. India very much wants to be a part of this global initiative!” declared Bansal.   

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