SkyDrive has announced plans to evaluate initial operational routes for electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) medical logistics services in India alongside Air India and Suzuki.
The initiative forms part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the three organizations in July 2026 to assess the feasibility of eVTOL medical logistics operations. Rapid economic growth in India has contributed to severe urban traffic congestion, creating significant challenges for the timely transport of urgent medical supplies.
The joint program will focus on high-priority use cases where road congestion creates significant challenges for time-sensitive transport. One area under evaluation is the movement of radioactive isotopes used in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics from a manufacturing plant in Mumbai to nearby major general hospitals.
Because these pharmaceuticals have extremely short half-lives, the partners will assess whether reliable air logistics could bypass road traffic, prevent medication degradation and expedite patient care.
The study will also examine emergency medical and organ transport between major hospitals in the Delhi National Capital Region. The partners will evaluate the safety and feasibility of using eVTOL aircraft to reduce inter-hospital transport times from 30 to 90 minutes by ambulance to 10 to 15 minutes.
The scope of the study has also been expanded beyond medical logistics to include emergency aircraft parts transport. Urban congestion can delay the delivery of components required during aircraft maintenance, contributing to Aircraft on Ground situations.
Routes under evaluation will connect parts collection hubs and maintenance bases near Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport with airport terminals and maintenance areas. The study will assess whether bypassing road traffic could reduce aircraft downtime and improve operational reliability.
Any future operations resulting from the joint study would be undertaken in coordination with relevant government and regulatory authorities and remain subject to all necessary approvals.
