Air India explores eVTOL aircraft for emergency medical logistics in India

Air India has entered the fast-emerging advanced air mobility space, signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japanese eVTOL aircraft developer SkyDrive Inc. and Suzuki Motor Corporation to study the feasibility of deploying electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for medical air logistics in India.

The joint study will examine how eVTOL aircraft can be used to transport time-sensitive medical supplies across India’s traffic-clogged cities, where road congestion often delays emergency deliveries. The partners will evaluate the operational, infrastructure and regulatory requirements for building a safe and scalable eVTOL ecosystem for healthcare logistics.

The move signals Air India’s first major step towards exploring advanced air mobility (AAM) and eVTOL aircraft as part of India’s future aviation network, with medical logistics emerging as one of the most practical early-use cases.

With India’s aviation market expanding rapidly alongside worsening urban congestion, the three companies believe electric air taxis could significantly reduce delivery time for critical medicines, blood, organs and other high-value medical cargo where every minute is crucial.

Air India will contribute its expertise in cargo operations, airport infrastructure and stakeholder coordination, while SkyDrive will provide its eVTOL technology and Suzuki will bring its deep understanding of the Indian market and mobility ecosystem.

Ramesh Mamidala, Head of Cargo at Air India, said advanced air mobility was a natural progression for India’s transport ecosystem as the country continued to emerge as one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.

He said the collaboration reflected the partners’ shared ambition to develop next-generation mobility solutions for real-world challenges. Mamidala said the use of eVTOL aircraft for medical logistics stood out because it combined cutting-edge technology with a clear public purpose by helping reduce critical transit times.

Mamidala further said that Air India would support the feasibility study with its operational expertise, airport infrastructure knowledge and industry relationships to help build a safe, reliable and scalable framework for eVTOL operations.

Tomohiro Fukuzawa, Founder and CEO of SkyDrive, said the partnership marked an important step in bringing aerial mobility to a sector where speed could directly save lives.  Fukuzawa said eVTOL aircraft had the potential to transform medical logistics in India’s congested cities by enabling faster movement of time-critical and high-value medical supplies.

Masao Fujitani, Executive General Manager, Next Generation Business Development at Suzuki Motor Corporation, said the eVTOL aircraft being developed by SkyDrive represented a new generation of mobility aligned with Suzuki’s philosophy of creating smaller, lighter and more efficient transport solutions.  Fujitani said the company aimed to support urban medical infrastructure by working with Air India and SkyDrive to develop mobility solutions closely connected with people’s daily lives.