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Indian aerospace startup Sarla Aviation has announced plans to build an urban air mobility (UAM) giga-facility to manufacture eVTOL aircraft. Co-founder and CTO Rakesh Gaonkar says it will be the world’s largest dedicated eVTOL and UAM facility.
Sarla Aviation plans to establish its giga-facility in Thimmasamudram, a village in the Anantapur district in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The company says this ‘sky factory’ will be the country’s first site integrating eVTOL manufacturing, flight testing, certification, training and maintenance.
The eVTOL factory will house production lines for composites, powertrains, wire harnesses, landing gear systems, flight control computers and embedded systems. India’s largest wind tunnel, a dedicated two-kilometre runway and eVTOL testing pads will complement the plant. In addition, with R&D and simulation labs, pilot training centres and MRO facilities also present, the giga-facility will support the entire eVTOL aircraft lifecycle within India for the first time.
The giga-facility will span around 500 acres and entail an investment of 13 billion rupees. In the first phase, Sarla Aviation will invest 3.3 billion rupees and put around 150 acres into use. It plans to start production in 2029, and once fully operational, expects to achieve an annual capacity of up to 1,000 units.
Sarla Aviation has developed a six-passenger hybrid-electric VTOL called ‘Shunya’. The aircraft features seven electric motors that allow it to fly at speeds of up to 250 kph. It has two battery packs and a SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) tank that together deliver a range of up to 800 kilometres. Using only battery power, however, Shunya can cover distances of up to 150 kilometres.
Based in Bengaluru (Karnataka), India’s so-called Silicon Valley, Sarla Aviation began operations in 2023. The company aims to launch Shunya as the world’s most affordable flying taxi. It also plans to offer a free air ambulance service with Shunya in four metropolitan cities: Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and Pune.
