Manipal Hospitals, Sarla Aviation, and Aeromed Sign MoU to Develop eVTOL Air Ambulances in India
Why It MattersThe tie-up signals eVTOL manufacturers moving toward specialised medical-transport applications in India, pairing aircraft development with hospital networks and dedicated air ambulance operators.
Manipal Hospitals, Sarla Aviation, and Aeromed have signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding, executed in August, to develop a next-generation air ambulance service using electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The collaboration combines Sarla Aviation's eVTOL technology, Manipal Hospitals' clinical expertise and hospital network, and Aeromed's experience in air ambulance and medical evacuation operations, with development work focused on the medical cabin for Sarla Aviation's Shunya eVTOL aircraft, integration of medical equipment, and standardised procedures for transferring patients between ground ambulances, aircraft, and hospitals.
The partners will evaluate routes where faster air transport could deliver the greatest clinical benefit, with identified use cases including trauma, heart attacks, strokes, newborns requiring specialist care, and organ transplantation. The programme will also cover training, insurance, safety frameworks, and research into patient outcomes.
Dr H Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman of Manipal Hospitals, said the integration of advanced aviation technology with healthcare expertise has the potential to transform emergency and interhospital patient transfers, and that the collaboration aims to help shape a safe, clinically robust, and scalable model for next-generation air ambulance services in India. The initiative is aimed at bypassing road congestion and reducing delays during critical patient transfers.
