Aviation ministry ready to make policy for air taxis
1 min read 27 Mar 2023, 11:59 PM ISTCivil aviation secretary Rajiv Bansal said that e-VTOL is the next technology that the ministry will focus on
PremiumThe civil aviation ministry is ready to formulate policy framework for the air taxis and will soon commission a study on the matter, Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal said.
“After Production Linked Scheme for drones is being rolled out this month, we are now ready to take the next big steps in the e-VTOL system" Bansal said while speaking at the CII advanced short-haul air mobility 2023 conference.
An air taxi or an electric vertical take-off and landing system (e-VTOL) is a type of aircraft that uses electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically. This technology is largely seen to benefit the aerial vehicles for urban air mobility.
Bansal added that e-VTOL is the next technology that the ministry will focus on as it has applications that address both densely populated urban spaces as well as sparsely populated remote lands and smaller cities and towns.
As the government takes steps towards a policy ecosystem for air taxis, the ministry will also study the global protocols on this technology to better understand the roles and responsibility of various government and regulatory bodies in its implementation including ministries of civil aviation and defence, Airports Authority of India, and Directorate General of Civil Aviation among others.
“The evolution of Advanced Air Mobility as a mass transit platform would also need development of other tech platforms in the ecosystem. As an example, Traffic management system with an automated Air traffic controller providing directions to craft would facilitate efficiency and safety," said Mr Amit Datta, Chairman of CII Taskforce for Short Haul Air Mobility.
