The ePlane Company hosted dignitaries from the DGCA and IIT Madras at a special ceremony to announce the awarding of the certificate.
The ePlane Company, an electric flying taxi startup, said on Tuesday that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted it Design Organisation Approval (DOA).
The DOA is a crucial first step in the aircraft certification process, and it paves the way for The ePlane Company to begin commercial production.
On the occasion, the DGCA dignitaries and Prof. V. Kamakoti, the Director of IIT Madras, presented the Design Organisation Approval to Prof. Satya and the ePlane team. The DGCA team also visited the National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD) at the IIT Madras Campus to gain insights into ePlane’s ongoing work and progress.
The ePlane Company is pursuing the development of India’s first and the world’s most compact flying electric taxi, designed for up to 10x faster intra-city commutes and cargo transport.
The ePlane e200 is a two-seater aircraft that is designed to operate in urban spaces. With a travel range of 200 kilometres, it can make multiple stops on a single charge, saving consumers a significant amount of time. The company intends to make door-to-door flying a reality, redefine how we currently commute, and help people save a significant amount of time daily.
"This is a major milestone for our company, it is a crucial first step in the aircraft certification process and paves another stone on the path towards commercialisation of our e200 eVTOL aircraft.
"It gives us immense pleasure to announce that ePlane is the first startup in India to be approved as a Design Organisation and one of the very few private entities for complete aircraft design," he added.
