Japanese eVTOL aircraft developer SkyDrive is looking to make early inroads into India’s advanced air mobility (AAM) market through new public and private-sector partnerships. During the Gujarat Global Summit 2024 event that closed on January 13, the company signed collaboration agreements with the engineering and technology group Cyient and the government of the Indian state of Gujarat.

Gujarat’s Department of Science and Technology will work with SkyDrive to develop the ecosystem needed to launch eVTOL air services in the state by 2027. Government officials will also support feasibility studies focused on creating AAM businesses in Gujarat, which is the political power base of Indian Prime Minister Narendra.

“We would work closely together with the public and private sectors [in Gujarat] to provide solutions for issues, such as mobility emissions and urban congestion,” said SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed on January 12, Cyrient will support SkyDrive’s efforts to bring its three-seat eVTOL aircraft to market by 2028. Initially, the company will assist with tasks such as creating the technical publication manual for the all-electric vehicle, which is expected to be used for flights of up to just 15 miles.

Left to right: Cyrient founder and chairman BVR Reddy, Cyient CEO Karthikeyan Natarajan, and SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa signed a collaboration agreement at the Indian company's headquarters in Hyderabad. (Image: SkyDrive)

Cyrient is based in Hyderabad, which is one of India’s biggest technology hub cities and the capital of the southern state of Telangana. The group’s CEO and executive director, Kathineyan Natarajan, said the partnership could be expanded to cover other aspects of developing new urban mobility initiatives in Indian cities.

According to Cyrient, it supports multiple aerospace and defense companies with engineering services focused on manufacturing and design for aircraft engines, aerostructures, cabin interiors, and avionics. It aims to lower engineering costs and help with supply-chain challenges faced by the industry and is also involved in fields such as modernizing the railway industry with digital technology.

Multiple AAM Companies Target Indian Market

Several other eVTOL aircraft developers—among them Eve Air Mobility, Archer, and Jaunt—have previously announced partnerships aimed at developing AAM services in India with companies including Blade. There has also been local interest in new hybrid-electric aircraft such as Lyte Aviation's SkyBus and Jekta's PHA-ZE 100 electric seaplane.

Last week, SkyDrive announced that it has secured an unspecified amount of additional capital through a Series C funding round involving a third-party allotment of new shares to its existing backer, Suzuki Motor Corporation. The companies jointly exhibited at the Global Trade Show, which was part of the Gujarat Global Summit 2024 event. At the booth of its partner, Maruti-Suzuki India Limited, the company displayed the SD-05 one-fifth-scale model of its aircraft.

In October, SkyDrive received funding from the Japanese government. It aims to achieve provisional airworthiness approval in time for the aircraft to be demonstrated during the Osaka World Expo in 2025, with full type certification expected to take longer to complete.

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