India has moved a step closer to its air taxi ambitions after Bengaluru-based Sarla Aviation completed the flight testing of Sylla, the country's largest and heaviest electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) technology demonstrator.

The half-scale aircraft, weighing around 700 kg with a 7.5-metre wingspan, completed over 500 individual tests and logged more than 18 hours of flight time over six months, making it the heaviest electric aircraft ever flown in India.

Although Sylla is not designed to carry passengers, it serves as a critical technology platform to validate electric propulsion, battery systems, flight controls, distributed motors, landing gear, and aircraft integration before commercial air taxis become a reality.

The milestone comes as India looks to tackle growing urban congestion with cleaner, faster mobility solutions. Future eVTOL aircraft could eventually connect airports, business districts, and suburban hubs in as little as 15 to 30 minutes while producing lower emissions than helicopters.

Sarla Aviation built and flew Sylla in under a year with an investment of less than $13 million.

The company has already begun work on Sylla 2.0, which will test the complex transition from vertical lift to forward flight, a crucial step before passenger air taxis can enter commercial service.

Despite the engineering breakthrough, widespread air taxi services are still several years away.

India will need dedicated vertiports, charging infrastructure, air traffic systems and regulatory approvals before commercial operations can begin.