Bengaluru's much talked about air taxi grabs attention at Invest Karnataka

BENGALURU: At the Aero Show, Sarla Aviation’s futuristic air taxi may have struggled for attention amid a sea of aircraft, but at the Invest Karnataka-2025 summit, its prototype Shunya is undeniably the showstopper. Enthusiastic visitors continue to flock around it, eager for selfies and more details.

By the second day of the high-profile event, company co-founder Dinesh was already battling a sore throat from answering an endless stream of questions. “I ran out of cards too,” he told PTI.

The air taxi first made headlines in October last year, sparking 'Peak Bengaluru' memes after it was revealed that a trip from Electronic City to the airport would take just 19 minutes and cost ₹900. Given that even on a good day, the same journey by road takes around two hours and cabs charge at least ₹1,000, the pricing and timing sounded almost too good to be true for many Bengalureans.

Currently, Sarla Aviation is awaiting approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). “Once that is done, we could commission the two aircraft in our fleet immediately,” said Dinesh, estimating that the clearance process could take around 18 months.

Designed to operate without a pilot, the aircraft can accommodate six passengers at a time, carrying a total load of up to 680 kg while reaching speeds of 250 km/hour. Dinesh added that it requires just 2,000 sq ft of cleared space for takeoff and landing.

The company aims to add four more aircraft by the end of the year, focusing on short-haul routes of 20-30 km to ease travel in congested cityscapes. “It will be optimised for short trips of 20-30 km aimed to reduce travel times across congested urban areas,” he said.

At the Invest Karnataka-2025 summit, running until February 14 at Bangalore Palace, Shunya remains on static display. Meanwhile, at Aero India 2025, held concurrently at Yelahanka Air Force Base, the air taxi is taking flight to demonstrate its capabilities to the public.