Chennai, India & Farnborough, UK | 23 July 2026: The ePlane Company and Apollo Hospitals have announced a strategic collaboration to explore the deployment of electric air ambulances and medical delivery drones as part of India’s emergency healthcare infrastructure. The partnership follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Chennai and was announced at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 in the United Kingdom.
The collaboration seeks to address one of India’s most pressing public health challenges—improving access to timely emergency medical care. According to available data, more than 170,000 people lose their lives in road accidents in India each year, while only a small proportion of trauma patients receive specialized treatment within the critical “golden hour.” Traffic congestion, long travel distances, and delayed access to advanced medical facilities continue to impact emergency outcomes across the country.
Through this collaboration, Ubifly Technologies Private Limited (The ePlane Company) and Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited aim to evaluate how advanced air mobility solutions can complement existing emergency response systems by reducing transportation time for critically ill and injured patients.
Building an Integrated Emergency Response Ecosystem
The initiative will explore the integration of electric aviation technology with Apollo Hospitals’ healthcare network to improve emergency response capabilities across urban and remote regions.
The proposed ecosystem includes:
- Electric Air Ambulances: The ePlane Company’s e200X aircraft is being developed for rapid inter-hospital transfers, trauma response, cardiac and stroke emergencies, and organ transportation. The aircraft is designed to significantly reduce travel times compared to conventional road transport while offering a more cost-efficient alternative to traditional helicopter-based air ambulance services.
- Medical Delivery Drones: Through its subsidiary Amber Wings, The ePlane Company is developing unmanned aerial systems capable of transporting blood products, organs, vaccines, medicines, and diagnostic samples between healthcare facilities, enabling faster delivery of critical medical supplies.
- Apollo Hospitals’ Healthcare Network: The collaboration intends to leverage Apollo Hospitals’ extensive ecosystem, including its network of hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, diagnostic centres, and over 1,000 ambulances, to evaluate integrated emergency response models supported by advanced air mobility.
Together, these capabilities are expected to create a connected emergency healthcare framework designed to improve access to life-saving treatment across densely populated cities and underserved regions.
Improving Access During the Golden Hour
For patients experiencing severe trauma, cardiac emergencies, or stroke, timely medical intervention is often the determining factor between recovery and fatality. However, delays caused by traffic congestion and long transfer distances frequently prevent patients from reaching specialized trauma centers within the recommended treatment window.
The proposed collaboration seeks to reduce these delays by enabling faster transportation directly to advanced medical facilities, potentially improving emergency care outcomes.
Future Roadmap
Under the Memorandum of Understanding, Apollo Hospitals has expressed its intention to evaluate the potential procurement of the e200X electric air ambulances and Amber Wings medical delivery drones, subject to future commercial discussions.
The agreement also outlines the possibility of exploring a strategic investment by Apollo Hospitals in The ePlane Company, contingent upon mutually agreed commercial terms.
Both organizations intend to engage with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other relevant regulatory authorities to support the development of operational frameworks and infrastructure required for advanced air mobility services in healthcare.
Leadership Perspectives
Commenting on the collaboration, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman of Apollo Hospitals Group, said:
“India continues to lose far too many lives because timely access to specialized medical care remains a challenge. Throughout Apollo Hospitals’ journey, we have believed that access to quality healthcare is as important as clinical excellence itself. Our collaboration with The ePlane Company reflects our commitment to exploring innovative solutions that can help extend advanced emergency care to more people, regardless of their location.”
Prof. Satya Chakravarthy, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of The ePlane Company, added:
“Every minute is critical during a medical emergency. Through this collaboration with Apollo Hospitals, we aim to evaluate how electric aircraft and medical drones can support faster patient transportation and improve access to specialized trauma care across India. We believe advanced air mobility has the potential to become an important component of the country’s future healthcare infrastructure.”
About The ePlane Company
Founded in 2019 and incubated at the IIT Madras Incubation Cell, The ePlane Company (Ubifly Technologies Pvt. Ltd.) is an Indian deep-tech aerospace company focused on developing advanced electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for urban air mobility applications.
Headquartered at the IIT Madras Discovery Campus in Chennai, the company operates a dedicated integrated facility for the design, prototyping, manufacturing, and testing of electric aircraft. It is the first private aerospace company in India to receive Design Organization Approval (DOA) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for electric aircraft development, while its flagship e200X platform is the first eVTOL aircraft accepted into India’s official type certification process.
The company develops zero-emission aviation technologies designed for passenger transport, emergency medical services, and urban cargo operations.
About Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited
Established in 1983, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited (AHEL) is one of India’s largest integrated healthcare providers. The organization operates more than 76 hospitals with over 10,400 beds, alongside an extensive network of 6,600+ pharmacies, 264 clinics, 2,182 diagnostic centers, and 800+ telemedicine centers.
Apollo Hospitals is recognized globally for its expertise in advanced healthcare delivery and has performed more than 300,000 angioplasties and 200,000 cardiac surgeries. Supported by a workforce of approximately 120,000 healthcare professionals, the organization continues to focus on expanding access to quality healthcare through innovation and technology.
Media Contacts
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