The ePlane Company to supply 788 air ambulances in $1B deal

The ePlane Company, an Indian eVTOL (electric vehicle and take off and landing vehicle) maker, has partnered with the International Critical-Care Air Transfer Team (ICATT), an air ambulance provider in India, to supply 788 air ambulances.

The deal was valued at over $1 billion.

This deal represents one of the largest initial agreements in the eVTOL space, marking a step toward integrating air mobility into both rural and urban healthcare infrastructure nationwide.

Through this partnership, ICATT plans to establish India’s largest air ambulance network to ensure critical patients have access to life-saving care regardless of geographic challenges. It will provide technical and operational expertise to help ePlane’s aircraft meet e-air-ambulance standards.

ePlane’s flagship aircraft, the e200x, is an efficient, ultra-compact eVTOL designed for affordable, and sustainable air transport. With a wingspan of just 8m, it can take off and land in tight spaces such as rooftops or roadside fields. According to the company, the e200x is capable of transporting patients seven times faster than ground vehicles.

The initiative aims to reduce response times for transporting patients, organs, medicines, and medical equipment, especially in rural and accident-prone areas.

“This is going to be a very good solution in terms of organ air-lifts. 95% of the registered patient recipients die before they get an organ. This is purely because of the lack of logistics, not due to lack of donors,” said Dr Shalini Nalwad, Founder of ICATT.

Founded in 2017 by Dr Rahul Singh Sardar and Dr Nalwad, both trained anaesthetists and critical care specialists from the UK’s NHS, ICATT operates in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Bhopal, and Male, Maldives, and is setting up a base in Dubai, UAE. To date, ICATT has completed 2,348 critical patient airlifts. 

“By deploying air ambulances at scale, we aim to enhance emergency response capabilities, ensure faster critical care access, and bridge the gap between accident sites and advanced medical facilities, ultimately reducing fatalities and improving healthcare accessibility,” said Prof Satya Chakravarthy, Founder of The ePlane Company. 

The Chennai-based firm received its Design Organisation Approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation last year, making it the first private Indian company to receive the certificate for an electric aircraft.

In November, ePlane secured $14 million in a Series B funding round co-led by Speciale Invest and Antares Ventures, with the funds primarily allocated for the development and certification of its manned aircraft, and flight testing scheduled for mid-2025.