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To meet the growing demand for short-haul vehicle service in the country, global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the advanced air mobility (AAM) area must have capabilities closer to the markets, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation Rajiv Bansal said here on Monday.
Speaking about advanced and short-haul air mobility, the Secretary said the market is an emerging space globally and the air traffic management rules haven’t been settled globally. While the demand is there in the country, to succeed in India, OEMs must put up pilot plants in different regions of the country, he noted.
“Seeing is believing. This is a very good model that succeeds in India. If OEMs are willing to put up a pilot plant in some cities, normally the local governments will support them and provide land, investment, or both. That is a very good entry point in India as you will get buy-ins from the government and the consumers,” he added.
In fact, the government is also ready to build a policy for electric vertical take-off and landing systems (e-VTOL), said the Secretary during the first CII Advanced Short Haul Air (ASHA) Mobility 2023 conference held in Bengaluru.
“After the production-linked scheme for drones is rolled out this month, we are now ready to take the next big steps in the e-VTOL system. And we would soon commission a study in the e-VTOL space to understand it better.”
To promote the industry, he sought the expectations of the industry from the government and the regulatory agencies in India, including safety regulators, security regulators, air traffic regulators and air traffic management system operators.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ASHA conference, Amit Dutta, the CII Taskforce on Short Haul Air Mobility, and MD, Hunch Urban Mobility mentioned the various ways in which the industry seeks the government’s support.
“The MOCA has been providing significant support to the industry. Similarly, the government can play an important role in boosting industry by reducing the landing fee, and meeting certain navigation needs, such as permitting special visual flight rules (VFR), and creating more dedicated corridors,” Dutta told businessline.
Dutta also spoke about the India opportunity and global OEMs’ interest in setting up manufacturing capabilities. “We estimate this market with only electric helicopters will be at least a couple of thousands and see that the OEMs are keen on setting up a manufacturing and assembly base in India.”
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