By: IPP Bureau
Last updated : July 23, 2026 5:29 pm
Collaboration aims to reduce trauma response time through electric air ambulances and medical delivery drones, addressing delays in accessing critical care across urban and remote India
Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd. and The ePlane Company have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the deployment of electric air ambulances and medical delivery drones in India, aiming to improve emergency medical response and reduce delays in accessing trauma care.
The agreement was signed in Chennai and announced at the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK. It seeks to address a major public health challenge, with India recording over 170,000 road accident deaths annually and only one in five trauma patients reaching definitive care within the critical "golden hour."
Under the collaboration, Ubifly Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (The ePlane Company) and Apollo Hospitals will work towards integrating electric air mobility solutions into India's emergency healthcare ecosystem. The initiative is intended to complement existing road ambulance services by enabling faster patient transfers across congested urban areas and geographically remote regions.
At the centre of the partnership is The ePlane Company's e200X electric air ambulance, designed for rapid inter-hospital transfers, trauma response, cardiac and stroke emergencies, and organ transportation. According to the company, the aircraft can transport patients up to seven times faster than road ambulances while offering significantly lower operating costs than conventional helicopter ambulances.
The collaboration also includes the deployment of medical delivery drones through ePlane's subsidiary, Amber Wings, to transport blood products, organs, vaccines, medicines and diagnostic samples between healthcare facilities, potentially reducing delivery times from hours to minutes.
These aerial capabilities will be integrated with Apollo Hospitals' extensive healthcare network, which includes hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, diagnostic centres and a fleet of 1,066 ambulances, creating a connected emergency response system aimed at improving access to life-saving care.
As part of the MoU, Apollo Hospitals has expressed its intent to evaluate the procurement of e200X electric air ambulances and Amber Wings medical drones. The agreement also provides for discussions on a potential strategic investment by Apollo in The ePlane Company, subject to mutually agreed terms.
The partners will engage with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other regulatory authorities to facilitate certification, operational approvals and the infrastructure required to support electric air ambulance services in India.
Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, "India loses far too many lives simply because help cannot arrive in time. As the founder of Apollo Hospitals, which pioneered India's private healthcare model, I have long believed that access, along with deep clinical expertise, is what saves lives. This collaboration with The ePlane Company reflects our commitment to bringing Apollo's clinical excellence to every corner of the country, however remote."
Prof. Satya Chakravarthy, Founder and CTO of The ePlane Company, said, Every minute matters when someone's life is on the line. Working with Apollo Hospitals allows us to explore how our electric aircraft and drones can help close the gap between accident and treatment, especially for the millions of Indians living far from specialized trauma care," he said.