Flying Taxi Developer Raises $10M, Expands in IndiaFlying Taxi Developer Raises $10M, Expands in India

Air taxi developer Sarla Aviation has raised $10 million in a series A funding round, enabling the eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle company to advance its flying vehicle operations in India.

Sarla Aviation recently teamed with Bangalore International Airport to establish facilities for air taxi services at Bengaluru International Airport, one of the largest airports in India.

The new financing is aimed at enabling Sarla Aviation to accelerate the transformation of transportation in India and offer affordable, efficient air mobility services.

The funding round was led by Accel and Nikhil Kamath, with participation from angel investors Binny Bansal and Sriharsha Majety.

"This funding is a significant milestone for Sarla Aviation as we advance our mission to revolutionize transportation in India,” said Adrian Schmidt, co-founder and CEO of Sarla Aviation. “Our flying taxis are not just about enabling instant and affordable air mobility — they represent a bold step toward unlocking India’s true economic potential and solving for critical bottlenecks to our productivity like traffic congestion and pollution. 

“With the support of our investors, we are accelerating the development of our technology, expanding our team and establishing a state-of-the-art R&D center. Our first priority is to build a mass mobility system that serves and enables India like cars once transformed and enabled the United States.”

Related:Flying Taxi Developer Plans Service in India

The company also plans to launch a free air ambulance service while eliminating traffic delays.

Sarla, founded in 2024, is developing a hybrid-lift-and-cruise electric aerial vehicle (EAV) to carry a pilot, six passengers and luggage. 

Planned launch cities for the Sarla Aviation EAVs are Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi.

The Sarla EAV has seven electric motors, two of which pivot for takeoff and landing, and four battery packs.

The flying vehicle has a range of 100 miles, but trips planned would be 12 to 24 miles, according to the company.

The EAV would require 15 minutes of charging time between flights.

The vehicle has a larger passenger capacity for most air taxis in development, which typically are designed to carry up to four passengers and a pilot.

The Sarla Aviation EAVs would be mass produced in India, according to the company.

Airports around the world are getting ready for air taxi services.

For example, Vertiport operator UrbanV and construction and technology infrastructure company Icad Holdings are developing the infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the Mideast to support advanced air mobility (AAM).

Related:Air Taxi Vertiport Company Teams With Saudi Arabia Airport Operator

UrbanV also is working with EAV jet maker Lilium and airport management company Aeroports de la Cote d’Azur to bring Lilium electric jet flight to the South of France starting in 2026. 

For flying vehicles such as air taxis, vertiports are needed for takeoff and landings, passenger loading and unloading and charging and maintenance.

Numerous companies in Europe and the Middle East are involved in vertiport development along with companies in the U.S., such as Aeroauto Global in Florida.