Sarla Aviation, an Indian startup committed to electrifying urban air mobility, is gaining significant traction. Launched a year ago, the firm proposes a solution for India’s overpopulated urban roads, concentrating on creating aircraft that can harbor increasing weight—even if it culminates in shorter ranges.
This novel approach garnered substantial investor interest, including a $10 million investment in a recent funding round headed by Accel. Other notable investors included titans such as Binny Bansal, co-founder of Flipkart, Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, and Sriharsha Majety, co-founder of Swiggy.
Unlike its contemporaries opting for lighter, four-passenger aircraft, Bengaluru-based Sarla Aviation conceptualizes a vehicle capable of carrying six passengers and a pilot, weighing up to 680 kilograms. This higher payload trades off for a range of 160 kilometers per charge—a tinge shorter compared to other flying taxi offerings.
Sarla Aviation intends to direct the fresh funds towards constructing an R&D center in Bengaluru, scaling its team, and developing new prototypes for improved data validation. The startup’s ambitious commercial launch timeline targets 2028, with initial operations planned for airport transfers in Bengaluru, gradually expanding to Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune.
One unique commitment from Sarla Aviation is their intention to run a free air ambulance service parallel to their commercial services. Leveraging a third-party supply chain for prototype production, the firm aims to have an 80% indigenous supply chain by the time commercial operations commence.
Sarla Aviation’s plans place it in direct competition with heavyweights such as Archer Aviation and ePlane, both vying to launch their flying taxis in India next year.
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