What Sarla Aviation does

Sarla Aviation is an Indian aerospace startup founded in 2023 and headquartered in Bengaluru, developing the Shunya, a hybrid-electric eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) air taxi designed for urban passenger transport, medical evacuation, cargo logistics, and premium mobility in India. The Shunya features seven electric propulsion units, two double-isolated battery packs, and a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tank enabling both fully electric urban hops up to 150 km and hybrid-mode missions up to 800 km, at cruise speeds up to 250 km/h. The aircraft is offered in 6-seat passenger, 4-seat club, 680 kg cargo, and dedicated ambulance configurations, and is designed for vertical take-off and landing from any flat surface, positioning it as infrastructure-light relative to conventional aviation. Technology development is anchored by the Sylla 1.0 half-scale demonstrator (700 kg, the heaviest electric aircraft flown in India to date), which completed 500+ test points and 18 hours of flight time validating the powertrain, flight-control algorithms, and airframe, with a Sylla 2.0 demonstrator in development to validate wing-borne cruise transition.

The company plans a multi-revenue-stream business model combining direct-to-consumer air taxi services (priced at parity with ground ride-hailing), B2B partnerships for medical/emergency transport with hospital chains and air ambulance operators (Aster DM Healthcare, Blue Dot, Aeromed), cargo logistics, and — over the longer term — aircraft manufacturing and sales from a planned 500-acre facility in Andhra Pradesh targeting 1,000 aircraft annually by 2029. Sarla has raised approximately $13.4 million across five funding rounds including a $10 million Series A1 led by Accel in January 2025 and a strategic investment from IndiGo Ventures in April 2026. Co-founders Adrian Schmidt (CEO) and Rakesh Gaonkar, both former Lilium engineers, lead a team of 51–100 employees of which over 30% are returned expats from global eVTOL and EV pioneers including Lilium, Joby, Tesla, and Volocopter. Commercial air taxi service is targeted for Bengaluru launch in 2028, with planned expansion to Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kochi by 2029.

Name

Sarla Aviation

Legal name

Sarla-Aviation Private Limited

Website

https://sarla-aviation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sarla Aviation is a Bengaluru-based eVTOL developer building the Shunya hybrid-electric air taxi for urban passenger transport, medical evacuation, and cargo services in India, with commercial launch targeted for 2028.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Air Mobility

NAICS

Aircraft Manufacturing (336411), Air Transportation (481), Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415)

SIC

Aircraft (3721), Aircraft & Parts (3720), Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts (3724)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric & Hybrid-Electric Propulsion (eVTOL/Regional) (IMABADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Helicopter Air Taxi & Urban Air Mobility (eVTOL/VTOL) Passenger Services (THABAGAC), Air Taxi & Urban Air Mobility (eVTOL) Operators (TLAFAAAD), Helicopter Air Taxi / Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Services (TLAFACAC), Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) & Alternative Fuels (e-fuels, biofuels, hydrogen) (THABANAA)

Keywords

• Electric air taxi
• EVTOL aircraft
• Urban air mobility
• Hybrid-electric aviation
• Air ambulance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bengaluru

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Air Taxi Passenger Services: Direct-to-consumer and B2B2C flying taxi services for urban transportation, initially targeting airport transfers and urban commuting routes at costs competitive with ride-hailing ground transportation.
2. Medical/Emergency Transport: VTOL air ambulance services for emergency medical evacuation, organ transport, and hospital connectivity. Phase One includes 100% free medical transport services to demonstrate commitment to public health.
3. Cargo Transport Services: Cargo configuration aircraft with 680 kg payload capacity for logistics and freight applications, accessible from both sides with standardized loading platform.
4. Aircraft Manufacturing and Sales: Long-term plans to manufacture and sell eVTOL aircraft, with planned 500-acre manufacturing campus in Andhra Pradesh capable of producing 1,000 aircraft annually by 2029.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sarla Aviation designs, develops, and plans to operate hybrid-electric eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft. Its flagship product, the Shunya flying taxi, is a six-seat aircraft powered by seven electric propulsion units with double-isolated battery packs and a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) tank. The company intends to offer air taxi passenger services, medical/emergency transport, and cargo transport, while also planning long-term manufacturing and sale of the aircraft.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shunya Air Taxi Hybrid-electric eVTOL aircraft with seven electric propulsion units, double-isolated battery packs, and SAF tank. Range up to 800 km in hybrid mode and 150 km in fully electric mode, speeds up to 250 km/h, accommodating one pilot and six passengers with luggage space.
• Air Taxi Passenger Services Direct-to-consumer and B2B flying taxi services for urban transportation, offering airport transfers and intra-city commuting at costs competitive with ride-hailing ground transportation.
• Medical/Emergency Air Transport Services VTOL air ambulance services for emergency medical evacuation, organ transport, and hospital-to-hospital patient transfer, using a dedicated ambulance configuration of the Shunya aircraft.
• Cargo Transport Services Cargo transport service using Shunya's cargo configuration with 680 kg payload capacity, spacious loading area accessible from both sides, and a standardized loading platform for efficient operations.
• eVTOL Aircraft Manufacturing and Sales Long-term business of manufacturing and selling eVTOL aircraft from the planned Andhra Pradesh aerospace manufacturing campus, with target capacity of 1,000 aircraft annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces BLR Airport to e-City travel time from 2.5 hours to under 20 minutes
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Cochin International AirportcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Agreement signed to explore integrating vertiport infrastructure for air taxis with planned routes from Kochi to Munnar, Alleppey, Kovalam, Sabarimala, and Thrissur. This is India's first airport-level vertiport partnership.
• OEC Green DevelopersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership to explore eVTOL-ready infrastructure for Kerala's emerging leisure destinations, supporting sustainable tourism mobility solutions.
• Aster DM HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025MoU signed to develop medical corridor capabilities using eVTOL aircraft for rapid medical transport, organ delivery, and hospital connectivity across India.
• Aeromed International Rescue ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Partnership to launch VTOL air ambulances in India equipped with advanced medical equipment for emergency transport and organ delivery, pending aircraft certification.
• Blue Dot Air AmbulancemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership for air ambulance services using eVTOL aircraft for emergency medical evacuation, contributing to faster medical response capabilities in India.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Joby Aviation: US-based eVTOL developer building a four-seat tilt-rotor air taxi for commercial passenger service. Joby is the most advanced publicly listed eVTOL player with FAA certification progress and is the most direct global competitor to Sarla in the air taxi segment.
• Archer Aviation: US-based eVTOL company developing a four-seat tilt-rotor Midnight aircraft. Like Sarla, Archer is pursuing urban air taxi, airport shuttle, and enterprise partnerships and is further along in FAA certification, making it a direct peer in product and business model.
• Volocopter: German eVTOL developer with the multi-rotor VoloCity and VoloRegion aircraft. Volocopter is a direct eVTOL competitor and is cited by Sarla as part of the global talent pool it has recruited from, indicating close technology overlap.
• Lilium: German eVTOL company that pioneered the ducted-fan eVTOL design. Both Sarla co-founders are ex-Lilium, and Lilium represents the closest technological lineage to Sarla's Shunya. Note Lilium filed for insolvency in 2024, illustrating both the talent source and the technology risk profile.
• Vertical Aerospace: UK-based eVTOL developer building the four-seat VX4 tilt-thrust aircraft with backing from American Airlines, Avolon, and others. Direct peer in the urban air taxi category and serves as a useful comparator on certification strategy and pre-sale order book.
• Eve Air Mobility: Brazilian eVTOL company backed by Embraer developing the eVTOL Eve aircraft. Direct peer in the urban air taxi segment with a different design approach (lift+cruise) but a similar go-to-market of high-volume manufacturing and airline partnerships.
• Beta Technologies: US-based eVTOL company with the Alia conventional-takeoff and CX300 (certified cargo variant) aircraft, including its own charging infrastructure. Comparable in targeting both passenger and medical/cargo use cases, similar to Sarla's multi-segment approach.

Regional players

• The ePlane Company: Indian eVTOL startup developing electric air taxis for intra-city and cargo use, also based in India. Most direct regional peer; competes for the same regulatory pathway, airline partners, and Indian market Sarla is targeting.

Emerging players

• SkyDrive: Japanese eVTOL company developing a three-seat compact eVTOL with Toyota backing. Comparable in targeting urban air taxi at smaller scale and pursuing certification in Asian markets; useful peer for the Japan/Asia regulatory and commercial pathway.
• AutoFlight: Chinese eVTOL developer with the Prosperity I and CarryAll tilt-rotor/lift+cruise designs, including recent type certification progress in China. Comparable in pursuing regional and intercity routes, providing a useful read on China certification dynamics adjacent to India.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sarlaaviation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sarla-aviation
• Instagraminstagram.com/sarla_aviation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sarla Aviation