2 hrs ago
Tata Elxsi, Sarla Aviation Partner on India’s Electric Air Taxi
Tata Elxsi and Sarla Aviation are working together to build an electric aircraft called Shunya.
The aircraft can take off and land vertically, like a helicopter, but fly forward like an airplane.
It is planned to carry one pilot and six passengers.
The aircraft is designed to fly more than 300 kilometres.
Tata Elxsi will help with the aircraft’s computers, flight controls, testing and safety approvals.
Sarla Aviation will remain in charge of designing and building the aircraft.
The companies hope Shunya will eventually help people travel between airports, cities and other places more quickly.
Sarla is aiming to fly the full-sized aircraft for the first time within 18 to 24 months.
Tata Elxsi and Bengaluru-based Sarla Aviation signed an MoU to develop the Shunya electric air taxi.
Tata Elxsi will support avionics, flight controls, software integration, testing, validation and certification.
Sarla Aviation will lead Shunya’s overall design, development and type-certification process.
Shunya is planned as a seven-seat eVTOL aircraft, including one pilot, with a range of more than 300 kilometres.
Sarla Aviation is targeting Shunya’s first flight within 18 to 24 months, following tests of its Sylla demonstrator.
- Who
- Tata Elxsi and Bengaluru-based startup Sarla Aviation.
- What
- They signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on developing Shunya, an electric vertical take-off and landing air taxi.
- Where
- The partnership involves India, with Sarla Aviation based in Bengaluru.
- When
- The agreement was announced on September 1, 2026; Shunya’s first flight is targeted within 18 to 24 months.
- Why
- Tata Elxsi will provide engineering and certification support as Sarla moves from technology demonstrations toward a full-scale passenger aircraft.
Key facts
- Aircraft
- Shunya, a planned electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft
- Seating
- Seven seats: six passengers and one pilot
- Designed range
- More than 300 kilometres
- Tata Elxsi’s role
- Avionics, flight controls, software integration, testing, verification, validation and certification support
- Sarla Aviation’s role
- Overall aircraft design and development, plus leadership of type certification
- First-flight target
- Within 18 to 24 months
- Demonstrator testing
- The Sylla demonstrator completed more than 500 test points and over 18 hours of flight time during a six-month campaign
Quotes
Manoj Raghavan
CEO and Managing Director of Tata Elxsi
“Every major shift in transportation has been enabled by a combination of engineering innovation and ecosystem readiness. Advanced air mobility is no different, and Sarla Aviation’s vision for Shunya reflects the ambition driving this transformation. Initiatives like this create opportunities to apply expertise built across aerospace, mobility and digital technologies to entirely new aviation platforms”
opindia.com
Adrian Schmidt
Co-founder and CEO of Sarla Aviation
“Building a new class of aircraft is not simply an engineering challenge. It requires bringing together people and organisations willing to solve problems that have never been solved before in this market.”
opindia.com
Sources
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