IIT-incubated startup's air taxis to fly in UAE & Southeast Asia
electric aircraft startup ePlane Company has announced a strategic collaboration with Dubai-based Empire Aviation Group to integrate business aviation solutions and take ePlane’s aircrafts international. The collaboration aims to fast-track the deployment of electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) air-taxis and air-ambulances across India, UAE, Thailand, and Indonesia, the startup said.
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«Empire is very good at operating aircraft. They have been doing this successfully across the globe in different countries. So they are getting into a partnership with us to globalise our aircraft and take it through commercialization and regulatory framework in other countries,» Satya Chakravarthy, CEO at The ePlane Company and an aerospace engineering professor at IIT Madras told ET.
The Empire group will provide its expertise in aviation operations, including safety protocols, SOPs, and fleet management, to ensure market entry for ePlane’s eVTOL aircraft, the startup said. The company may also consider a strategic investment in ePlane in the next round of funding.
ePlane is looking at 2026 for the first commercial flight. “One of the variants will go into the market by the end of 2026. The other variant could follow, depending on additional certification requirements and flight testing,” Chakravarthy added.
Last week the Chennai-based startup signed a
