> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theleftshift.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Sarla Aviation Begins Ground Tests of Air Taxis in Bengaluru
- URL: https://www.theleftshift.com/sarla-aviation-begins-ground-tests-of-air-taxis-in-bengaluru/
- Published: 2025-12-23T13:03:32.000Z
- Updated: 2025-12-23T13:03:32.000Z
- Description: SYL-X1 features a 7.5-metre wingspan and serves as a sub-scale platform for the company’s planned full-scale aircraft with a 15-metre wingspan.
- Author: Pritam Bordoloi 
- Tags: Drones

Bengaluru-based Sarla Aviation has begun ground testing its half-scale electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) demonstrator, SYL-X1, at its local facility, marking a significant milestone in India’s private air-taxi ambitions.

*“This milestone reflects what’s possible when globally experienced Indian engineering teams build with rigour, patience, and world-class standards,” said* [*Rakesh Gaonkar*](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rakesh-gaonkar/?ref=theleftshift.com)*, co-founder and chief technology officer of Sarla Aviation. “We are building something India can be proud of, a platform that can be certified, produced, and safely operated, designed and owned entirely in India.”*

Founded in 2023 by former Lilium executives Rakesh Gaonkar and [Adrian Schmidt](https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrnschm/?ref=theleftshift.com), Sarla Aviation is developing a six-seater electric air taxi aimed at cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and Pune. 

The company said the tests will validate structural performance, propulsion integration and system-level safety as it transitions from design and laboratory work to aircraft-scale trials. SYL-X1 is part of Sarla Aviation’s broader effort to develop a certified, domestically built eVTOL aircraft for urban transportation in India.

SYL-X1 features a 7.5-metre wingspan and serves as a sub-scale platform for the company’s planned full-scale aircraft with a 15-metre wingspan. Sarla Aviation said the demonstrator was designed with certification requirements in mind from the outset, creating a direct pathway toward commercial deployment.

According to the company, the current testing phase focuses on real-world validation of aircraft systems rather than small-scale prototypes, helping bridge the gap between early experimentation and certification-led development. The programme involved building a certification-aligned testing ecosystem and working closely with India’s aerospace supply chain.

It has raised $13 million to date and said its roadmap targets helicopter-class endurance with lower operating costs through electric propulsion.