AHMEDABAD: Gujarat’s ambitious push for air taxis has hit turbulence after the state Assembly was told no high-level committee exists for vertiport planning, despite earlier central advisories and trial site proposals.
The issue gained momentum after the Union government, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on February 13, 2025, confirmed that India is actively scouting regulatory sandbox locations to test Advanced Air Mobility solutions, including electric air taxis and eVTOL aircraft.
The reply by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol specifically identified Mandvi Airstrip in Kutch and the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad as potential trial sites.
However, the narrative sharply shifted on Wednesday inside the Gujarat Legislative Assembly when Congress MLA Imran Khedawala sought clarity on whether the Director General of Civil Aviation had advised the state to develop vertiports for air taxis and where the high-level committee formed for the purpose had recommended construction sites, thereby testing the preparedness claims around the project.
In a striking reply, the Gujarat government stated that no such high-level committee had been formed at all, thereby directly contradicting expectations of institutional planning for vertiport development.
This response becomes crucial because vertiports specialised hubs designed to handle both vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft require dedicated infrastructure planning, regulatory clearances and urban integration strategies, thereby forming the backbone of any operational air taxi network.
The contradiction deepened further when the government was asked about the status of vertiport construction work as of January 25, 2026, to which it curtly responded that “the question does not arise,” thereby implying that no groundwork or execution phase is currently underway.
The disclosure has, in turn, reignited a broader debate over the fate of Gujarat’s repeated futuristic mobility announcements first flying cars, then seaplanes, and now air taxis all of which have faced delays, reversals or operational shutdowns, thereby eroding confidence in execution timelines.
The scepticism is further amplified by the unresolved status of the state’s earlier flying car project, which was announced with much fanfare during the Vibrant Gujarat summit with claims of a Rs 10,000 crore investment for a manufacturing plant, thereby projecting Gujarat as a global hub for next-generation personal air mobility.
Back in March 2020, the Gujarat government had signed an MoU in Gandhinagar with Dutch company PAL-V to establish a flying car manufacturing facility, thereby promising large-scale production and exports to European markets.
At the time, company officials had cited Gujarat’s strong infrastructure, port connectivity and industrial ecosystem as key reasons for selecting the state, while also claiming that confirmed orders for over 100 flying cars from European countries would be fulfilled from the proposed plant.
Yet, years later, the promised facility has not taken off, thereby adding to the growing list of high-visibility aviation projects that remain grounded despite headline announcements.
The situation mirrors the fate of the state’s seaplane service, which was launched with considerable publicity but is currently non-operational, thereby reinforcing concerns over the gap between policy vision and on-ground execution.