E-aircraft policy on the anvil

BENGALURU: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is set to begin work to create a policy ecosystem for Electric Vertical Take off and Landing (EvTOL) systems, Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal said on Monday. Speaking at the two-day ‘Advanced Short Haul Air (ASHA) Mobility 2023’ international conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry and MoCA, 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 EvTOLsystem” This aircraft relies on electricity to take-off and hover and lands vertically.

On the drone front, the Centre has approved 15 drone categories so far and the number was likely to touch 50 by this year-end, he said. The government was promoting a scheme for the creation of airports, heliports and seaports. “The most challenging has been seaports.

We are working with the Ministry of Shipping and should be able to complete a few this year. The biggest challenge in seaport is environmental clearance,” he added. Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, Civil Aviation Ministry said, “I do not see any reason why we (India) should not ride the crest of the EvTOL revolution.” Vikram Dev Dutt, Director General, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, called upon aircraft manufacturers to keep safety as the centre of innovation.

“Both innovation and regulation can go hand in hand,” he said. Stating that the DGCA wants to dispel the notion that India always plays catch-up, Dutt said an EvTOL framework was in progress. “The DGCA has received a draft harmonisation agreement from NASA recently,” he disclosed. Gaurav Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka said, better mobility within Bengaluru was a pressing need and drones and e-VTOLs could play a crucial role in providing it. “The State Government is very supportive of start-ups and private players need to let the government know the kind of support they require”.