The ePlane Company signs MoU with Apollo Hospitals for air ambulances and medical drones

IIT Madras-incubated electric aircraft start-up The ePlane Company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with healthcare major Apollo Hospitals to introduce air ambulances.  

Under the partnership, the private hospital chain has expressed intent to procure The ePlane Company’s e200x air ambulances that will facilitate rapid inter-hospital transfers, trauma response, cardiac and stroke emergencies and organ transport as well as its subsidiary Amber Wings’ unmanned aerial vehicles that quickly move blood products, vaccines, medicines and samples. 

Speaking to businessline Divya Manchanda, EVP Business Partnerships and AAM Strategy, The eplane Company, said Apollo’s large healthcare network enables faster go to market for the company’s air ambulances without having to build healthcare infrastructure from scratch. 

“Apollo is giving us an extensive network to deploy air ambulances as their hospitals and pharmacies serve nearly 18,000 pin codes,” she said.

She mentioned that the exact number of aircrafts procured, the value as well as the operating model of the air ambulances are yet to be decided with discussions with Apollo ongoing on these matters. 

Manchanda added that the MoU also outlines the possibility for future strategic investments in The eplane Company by Apollo Hospitals without revealing further details regarding the nature or scope of the investment.

eVTOL based ambulance services will be seven times cheaper than using road transport while at a fraction of the cost of traditional helicopters, the company said in a media release.

Meanwhile, the company recently unveiled the first full scale prototype of its eVTOL aircraft e200X PT-01.

Manchanda said that this prototype will be for ground testing while the company is simultaneously working on the second prototype which will be suitable for flight testing. It intends to complete these tests and receive full certification from the regulators by early 2027.

The company has also initiated discussions with several Indian and international supply chain partners for the procurement of various components that will be part of the final aircraft.

“We prefer Indian suppliers but if the component requires overseas suppliers, we try to work with those who have a  manufacturing or supply-chain presence in India or plans to establish one,” she said. 

While The eplane Company currently operates out of its facility within IIT Madras’ Discovery Campus, the company is also evaluating options for a dedicated manufacturing unit with a planned capacity of 80 aircrafts in the first year. 

The company had earlier this year secured a $1-billion order from ICATT to deliver 788 air ambulances across India. 

As for the pilots required to fly these planes, Manchanda suggests that the company has developed internal estimates regarding pilot requirements, “The exact flight duty time limitations and other specifics are yet to be specified by the regulator. We are awaiting final regulations,” she added.