Noida: Noida International Airport (NIA) and Chennai-based Ubifly Technologies Pvt Ltd, also known as The ePlane Company, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop an ecosystem for air taxi services at the airport, with operations targeted to begin next year.The proposed services will cover airport-to-airport transfers, intra-city commutes and emergency air ambulance services.The MoU aims to ensure that aircraft development is matched by preparations for ground operations and integration with existing airspace systems. The two companies will work on regulatory standard operating procedures (SOPs), vertiport management systems and the operational framework needed to deploy ePlane’s e200X aircraft.Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), the concessionaire of NIA, will earmark space on the airport premises for trials, vertiports and charging stations. It will also align airport SOPs to accommodate electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) operations. ePlane will be responsible for obtaining the necessary clearances from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), developing the prototype and conducting flight tests.Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy, founder and director of Ubifly Technologies, said deploying electric air taxis requires more than building the aircraft. “It demands the parallel development of ground infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and operational procedures,” he said, adding that that the MoU would allow the company to systematically validate its operational models through drone trials before transitioning to piloted e200X flights.Daniel Bircher, chairman, NIA, said the airport’s long-term vision is closely linked with bringing innovative, future-ready infrastructure to the region. “Integrating advanced air mobility into our airport framework is an important part of our commitment to seamless, multi-modal connectivity. We are pleased to collaborate with The ePlane Company on developing the ground infrastructure and operational SOPs required to deliver safe, zero-emission air transit and vital emergency services to Delhi-NCR,” Bircher said.ePlane develops eVTOL aircraft for urban air mobility. Its two-seater e200X PT-01 prototype was unveiled in Chennai in July this year, and ground testing is under way. The company is targeting flight trials by mid-2027. The development follows the design organisation approval the DGCA granted to ePlane in 2023.The aircraft has a footprint of eight metres by 11 metres and a maximum gross weight of 2,200kg. It is designed to carry a pilot and a 200kg payload, equivalent to two passengers.ePlane was founded in 2019 and incubated at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Incubation Cell. It is headquartered at the 163-acre IIT Madras Discovery Campus in Thaiyur, Chennai.
