Rajiv Bansal Joins Sarla Aviation as Advisor

Mumbai, Aug 6 (PTI) Bengaluru-based air taxi startup Sarla Aviation on Wednesday announced the appointment of former civil aviation secretary Rajiv Bansal as its Advisor.

In his new role, Bansal will lead the company with regulatory advisory and strategy development towards certification, the company said.

Bansal, who retired in August 2023 after a 35-year career in the civil services, has also served as Chairman and Managing Director of the erstwhile government-owned Air India.

The platform in January this year unveiled its prototype air taxi, Shunya, at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo amid its plans to introduce electric flying taxis in Bangalore by 2028.

In this advisory role, Rajiv will guide Sarla on regulatory strategy, airworthiness roadmaps, and policy alignment, areas where his deep expertise and understanding are essential, Sarla Aviation said.

His insights will also be critical as the company scales operations, engages with airports and city governments, and navigates the complex pathways toward commercial deployment, it added.

"Bansal's experience and leadership at the Civil Aviation Ministry will be instrumental in helping us mature our processes, shape our certification strategy, and strengthen our approach as we build India's first privately held full-stack aviation OEM," said Adrian Schmidt, Co-Founder and CEO of Sarla Aviation.

The company, he said, is entering this next phase of growth with great confidence and renewed ambition.

With a career spanning over three decades in aviation policy and operations, Bansal brings expertise to the platform at a critical juncture as it transitions from deep engineering to real-world deployment and flight testing, it said.

Founded in October 2023 by Schmidt, Rakesh Gaonkar, and Shivam Chauhan, Sarla Aviation's prototype Shunya is designed to accommodate up to six passengers and can carry a maximum load of 680 kg, making it the highest payload eVTOL (electric vertical Take-off and landing) in the market.