The government is expected to soon announce the first set of production-linked incentives for drones
At a recent event in Bangalore, Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal suggested that the union ministry is ready to formulate a policy framework for air taxis and will soon commission a study on the matter. Notably, the government is planning to launch a Production Linked Incentives (PLI) scheme for drones soon. After that, the next frontier for the government will be the development of the e-VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) policy in the country. It must be noted that E-VTOL aircraft use electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically. As the electric propulsion system developed and the need for aerial vehicle technology for urban air mobility gained prominence, this technology came to the rescue to provide a greener alternative. Mr Bansal also said that e-VTOL has applications that address both densely populated urban spaces as well as sparsely populated remote lands and smaller cities and towns.
“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,” remarked the secretary while delivering the inaugural address at India’s first Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) conference. Mr Bansal noted, “eVTOL’s future is not as far as it seems, it is much closer than what it appears, we are in 2023 and in 2025 this global dream will become a reality and India very much wants to be part of this global initiative.”
The Secretary believes that e-VTOL should be an industry-led initiative in India. Referring to the industry players present at the event, Mr Bansal remarked, “We want to know what you want from us. What is it you want from air traffic management as there is a lot of talk about manned and unmanned vehicles? We also want to know what is happening globally; are there some protocols? What will be the responsibility of the DGCA, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and so on.”
As per the chairman of CII Task Force, Amit Dutta, short-haul air mobility services are the next big disruption waiting to happen. “As our country is transforming from India living in villages to over 50% of the population in urban centres in the foreseeable future, traditional mobility platforms on terra firma would be grossly insufficient. Short-haul air mobility services are the next big disruption waiting to happen.”
Mr Dutta further added that operating electric craft is cheaper, much quieter and safer and they also address sustainability with regard to overall environmental footprint when compared to traditional helicopters.
Talking about the drone ecosystem in India, Mr Bansal commented, “In 2021, after intense industry consultations, a set of initiatives were taken to liberalise the drone ecosystem, to put in place drone rules, a digital skymap, a regulatory system to regulate the growth of drones, policy initiatives, regulate the growth of the remote pilot system, certification of drones, financial incentives for drone manufacturing called Production Linked Initiatives. In one and half years, we already have 15 certified drones today and another five in the pipeline with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. I expect this number to go up to 50 in the next one to two years.”
