Flying Taxi Soon To Be A Reality As Chennai Start-Up Company ePlane Receives Key Approval From DGCA

IIT-Madras incubated The ePlane Company, which has been working to develop an electric flying taxi, has become the first Indian company to receive the Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The DOA is an important first milestone in the aircraft certification process, according to information posted by the company on social media.

Vikram Dev Dutt, Director General, DGCA, awarded the certificate to the company’s founder and CEO Satya Chakravarthy in the presence of IIT Madras director V Kamakoti.

The company, in February 2023, showcased a prototype of the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle at the annual Aero India show in Bengaluru.

Founded in 2017 and launched in 2019, the ePlane Company is the brainchild of aerospace engineering professor Satya Chakravarthy and his student Pranjal Mehta.

The company aspires to build the world's most compact flying taxi, called the e200, for passengers, as well as cargo transport that could help reduce congestion on the roads and emissions from ground transport and lower the risk of road accidents.

The taxi which weighs around 200 kg has a 25 square metre of footprint and has a top speed of up to 200 kmph. The fully-electric taxi offers a range of around 200 km on a single charge.

The e200 is a two-seater aircraft that is designed to operate in urban spaces and can carry people to their destination 10 times faster.

The DOA is a crucial first step in the aircraft certification process, and it paves the way for ePlane to begin commercial production of its e200 eVTOL aircraft.