The Centre is scouting for suitable locations to designate them as “regulatory sandbox” sites for testing and evaluating the next generation of aviation technologies which will be used for advanced urban air mobility solutions, sources told businessline.

In aviation parlance, advanced air mobility vehicles refer to a wide variety of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. On the other hand, a “regulatory sandbox” is a controlled environment where new products and services can be tested without the administration of regulatory requirements.

As per sources, currently, locations for “regulatory sandbox” sites are being scouted in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.

“One such location was recently surveyed in Gujarat. This location is close to Mandvi, which is a beach town in the Kachchh district of Gujarat,” sources told businessline.

“Suitable locations are also being looked at in Andhra Pradesh near Vijayawada. We will soon zero-in on one such location for designating it as a “regulatory sandbox” for eVTOL and drones.”

Sources added that “regulatory sandbox” locations for eVTOL will speed up the testing and standardisation of such aircraft.

Prototypes for eVTOL

At present, several companies have come out with prototypes for eVTOL vehicles while the civil aviation regulator works on framing the guidelines for operations, licenses and safety standards of such aircraft.

“We believe that having such a facility in India will lead to faster development of such aircraft and their deployment,” sources said.

“The move to designate such sites as sandboxes can help in boosting the manufacturing and testing of such vehicles in India.”

Meanwhile, the industry has welcomed the move being contemplated by the Centre.

Significant step

“The establishment of a regulatory sandbox for eVTOLs in India is a significant step towards accelerating innovation and ensuring safe integration of advanced air mobility technologies into our airspace,” said Smit Shah, President, Drone Federation India.

“By enabling real-world testing in a controlled environment, this initiative will not only foster faster development but also position India as a global hub for designing, testing, and manufacturing eVTOLs.“

Amit Dutta, Chairman, CII Taskforce on Short Haul Air Mobility and Managing Director, Hunch Mobility, said: “The proactive steps taken by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in consult with various stakeholders and state governments to offer sandboxes for trials, testing,  evaluation of eVTOLs will accelerate the eVTOL certification process and developing used cases for the AAM (advanced air mobility) ecosystem.”

Published on January 21, 2025