India’s first female aircraft pilot inspires new drone taxi service:Sarla Aviation to build country’s 1st electric air taxi hub in Andhra Pradesh at ₹1,300 crore

India’s first gigascale electric air taxi hub will be built in Andhra Pradesh. For this, the Andhra Pradesh government has signed an MoU with Sarla Aviation. An eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) manufacturing plant will be set up in the state. The company is named after Sarla Thakral, India’s first female pilot. This project named Sky Factory will be established in Anantapur district. Electric air taxis and similar aircraft will be manufactured here. The company has planned to invest Rs 330 crore in the first phase. The company will start commercial operations by 2029. This step will take India forward in green mobility. 150-acre campus and capacity of 1,000 aircraft This Sky Factory will be built near Kalyanadurg Mandal in Thimmasamudram, spread across 150 acres. It will have production lines, RD centers, composite labs and a 2-kilometer runway. Testing will be done here with DGCA certification. The first phase will cost ₹330 crore and in the second phase, it will be expanded by 350 acres with a total investment of ₹1,300 crore. The facility will manufacture Sarla’s flagship zero hybrid VTOL aircraft along with electrical harness systems, landing gear and advanced composite structures. When fully operational, this hub will be able to produce 1000 next-gen aircraft annually. This model is based on global hubs in California and Munich, which will form an integrated eVTOL cluster. Andhra Pradesh Airport Development Corporation Limited (APADCL) will fast-track the project. Sarla Aviation was established in 2023 Sarla Aviation is a company established in Karnataka in 2023, whose founders are experienced people from the global eVTOL industry. Private equity fund Excel has backed it. The company is designing a six-seater electric flying taxi, which will reduce travel time in India’s major cities. eVTOL means electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, which run on batteries. They can perform vertical flight, landing and hovering, which is different from traditional planes. This technology is new in India, but it could be a game-changer for green mobility. Sarla’s target is to start commercial flights by 2029 and this hub will boost indigenous development. The eVTOL market is growing rapidly worldwide and India can become a global player in it. The project will create 180 jobs by 2027 The project will create 40 specialized jobs and 140 indirect jobs by 2027. These will provide high-value employment in advanced manufacturing, aerospace innovation and green tech. Andhra Pradesh’s mission is to become the capital of advanced manufacturing and this hub will support sustainable aerial mobility. In the long term, thousands of jobs could come as this will be a gigascale facility. The state government will help make it ecosystem ready, which will boost the local economy. Sarla’s CTO explains India’s future Sarla Aviation’s co-founder and CTO Rakesh Gaunker said, With the world’s biggest sky factory, we want to make India the nerve center of the next era of flight. This giga facility will shape future aircraft, create thousands of high-skill jobs and make India a global force in sustainable aerial mobility. Our goal is simple, India should design, build, test, fly and operate the world’s most advanced eVTOL systems from an integrated campus. The MoU was signed at the CII Partnership Summit 2025, which highlights industry cooperation. Drone taxI services will start in 2 years Within 2 years of the announcement, the first drone taxis will be rolled out in Andhra Pradesh. Sarla’s focus is to make India a global powerhouse in electric aviation. Through phased development, jobs will be created by 2027 and full commercial operations will begin by 2029. This can connect with initiatives like the UDAAN scheme, which will increase air connectivity. Globally, the eVTOL market could reach billions by 2030 and this hub will give India leadership. The state government says this project is a big step towards a sustainable future.