Bengaluru, August 10, 2026: Sarla Aviation, an Indian advanced air mobility company developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, has received Design Organization Approval (DOA) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), marking a significant milestone in the company’s journey toward aircraft type certification.
The approval was formally presented by the Honorable Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Ram Mohan Naidu, during the inauguration of Sarla Aviation’s new headquarters in Bengaluru on August 8. According to the company, the approval was granted approximately three years after its founding, making it the fastest Design Organization Approval secured by an Indian aviation startup.
The event brought together senior representatives from the DGCA, Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Government of Karnataka, Bengaluru International Airport, and organizations across healthcare, energy, infrastructure, navigation, supply chain and engineering.
A Key Milestone on the Path to Certification
The Design Organization Approval, granted under CAR 21 Subpart J, formally recognizes an organization’s capability to undertake aircraft design activities supported by appropriate procedures, technical resources and independent checking systems required for certified aviation programs.
With the approval, Sarla Aviation can advance its aircraft designs through the DGCA’s type-certification process, strengthening the company’s position as it works toward developing an indigenous eVTOL platform for India’s emerging advanced air mobility sector.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Ram Mohan Naidu, Honorable Minister of Civil Aviation, said, “It is a very proud moment that we have a full-scale Indian eVTOL here, one that Indian engineers designed, Indian hands built, and which the Indian skies will proudly carry. Sarla Aviation is receiving the Design Organization Approval today, which is a proud reflection of our Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
The Minister also highlighted the Government of India’s focus on developing the eVTOL ecosystem and expressed the expectation that advanced air mobility could eventually become accessible beyond major metropolitan markets.
“We have to ensure this is not only for a certain class of people, a certain segment, or just the urban metropolitan areas. We have to ensure these machines fly everywhere in the country,” he said.
According to the Minister, India has moved rapidly in establishing a regulatory framework for eVTOL aircraft, including dedicated initiatives covering areas such as vertiports, certification standards, crew licensing, air operator permits, unified traffic management and maintenance, repair and overhaul.
Bengaluru Headquarters to Anchor Aircraft Development
Sarla Aviation’s new Bengaluru headquarters brings together its design, engineering, testing and commercial teams alongside a full-scale prototype of Shunya, the company’s flagship eVTOL program.
The company said its demonstrator program has completed more than 500 flight tests and 18 hours of cumulative flight testing. During the inauguration, visitors were also taken through the company’s engineering facilities, including development stations focused on electric propulsion, an 800-volt powertrain architecture and flight simulation.
Adrian Schmidt, Co-Founder and CEO, Sarla Aviation, said, “India deserves an aerospace company that builds fully indigenous systems to transport people, something the country has never had. With electric propulsion, we have the opportunity to indigenize the supply chain, manufacturing, and intellectual property required for this new generation of aircraft, right here in India.”
Rakesh Gaonkar, Co-Founder and CTO, Sarla Aviation, said, “Every 18 months, we deliver a new prototype. The next one arrives in January 2027 and will carry out its transition flight. The Design Organization Approval is an important foundation as we move from development and testing toward the next stage of the aircraft program.”
Industry and Defense Stakeholders Highlight Broader Potential
The event also featured perspectives from representatives of India’s defense and aviation ecosystem.
Air Commodore Vivart Singh, Indian Air Force, described the development as a significant milestone, drawing on his experience as an experimental test pilot. He highlighted the technical and regulatory complexity involved in progressing an aircraft from initial design to a flight-ready and certified platform, while noting the broader potential of indigenous eVTOL technologies for strengthening domestic aerospace capabilities.
Major General Bharat Mehtani, General Officer Commanding, Karnataka & Kerala, Indian Army, acknowledged Sarla Aviation’s pace of aircraft development and testing. He also highlighted the potential applications of vertical take-off and landing aircraft for the movement of personnel and equipment, particularly where rapid access and reduced infrastructure requirements are important.
Girish Nayak, Chief Operating Officer, Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL), said advanced air mobility could address some of the infrastructure constraints associated with conventional aviation, particularly for last-mile connectivity. BIAL, Sarla Aviation and mobility partners are working on concepts intended to connect airport passengers with their final destinations through emerging air mobility networks.
Six Partnerships Strengthen the Emerging Ecosystem
Six partnerships were also announced at the headquarters inauguration, covering healthcare, infrastructure, energy, navigation, advanced materials and aircraft systems.
- Manipal Hospitals and Aeromed Air Ambulance: A tripartite collaboration focused on developing protocols and infrastructure for emergency medical air transport, including potential connectivity with tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
- Prestige Group: Collaboration to explore vertiport-ready infrastructure within future developments.
- Jio-bp: Cooperation around energy infrastructure for future vertiport operations.
- Jeppesen ForeFlight: Collaboration involving navigation, aerospace modeling and flight-deck software for the Indian market.
- Hexcel Composites: Collaboration on advanced composite materials for the development of lighter and more efficient aircraft structures.
- Tata Elxsi: Collaboration focused on advanced flight controls and autonomy systems for future aircraft platforms.
These partnerships are intended to support the broader infrastructure required for advanced air mobility, extending beyond aircraft development to include navigation, energy, infrastructure, healthcare and autonomous flight technologies.
Building India’s Advanced Air Mobility Ecosystem
Sarla Aviation was founded in 2023 by Rakesh Gaonkar and Adrian Schmidt, who previously worked in the global eVTOL industry. The company’s team includes professionals with experience across organizations such as Lilium, Volocopter, BETA Technologies and Joby Aviation.
Named after Sarla Thukral, India’s first woman pilot, the company is developing electric aircraft intended to support urban and intercity transportation. Its flagship program is a six-seat electric flying taxi designed for applications in densely populated cities, with Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and Pune among the markets it has identified for its long-term vision.
The company’s broader objective is to develop advanced air mobility as a scalable transportation option in India, with an emphasis on safety, affordability and operational simplicity.
The receipt of Design Organization Approval represents a foundational regulatory milestone in that journey, enabling Sarla Aviation to advance its aircraft development program towards the subsequent stages of certification and eventual commercial operations.
About Sarla Aviation
Sarla Aviation is an Indian advanced air mobility and aerospace company headquartered in Bengaluru. Founded in 2023, the company is developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for urban and intercity transportation. Named after Sarla Thukral, India’s first woman pilot, Sarla Aviation aims to develop scalable electric air mobility solutions designed to reduce travel times while supporting India’s transition toward cleaner and more efficient transportation.
Its flagship program is a six-seat electric flying taxi intended for applications across major Indian cities. The company’s development team brings experience from global eVTOL and aerospace organizations, with a focus on aircraft design, electric propulsion, flight controls, autonomy and advanced air mobility infrastructure.
Media Contact
Kushal Mittal
Sarla Aviation
Email: kushal.mittal@sarla-aviation.com
Phone: +91 86386 49909