ePlane Company inks MoU with Apollo Hospitals to deploy electric air ambulances and medical delivery drones
Both parties intend to work with India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation
Chennai-based startup Ubifly Technologies (The ePlane Company) and Apollo Hospitals have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bring electric air ambulances and medical delivery drones into India's emergency healthcare system, connecting emergency patients across high-density urban corridors and remote access areas directly to the trauma care they need, without the delays of urban traffic or the expense of traditional helicopter transfers.
For trauma, cardiac, and stroke patients, the first hour after an emergency often determines the difference between recovery and tragedy. Yet today, patients frequently lose that hour to traffic, distance, and the need to stabilise at any nearby facility before being moved again to specialised trauma care, thereby losing precious time. This collaboration is designed to change that with a faster, more direct path from the point of emergency to definitive care.
ePlane's e200X aircraft is designed for rapid inter-hospital transfers, trauma response, cardiac and stroke emergencies, and organ transport, moving patients up to 7 times faster than road transport - at a fraction of the cost of a traditional helicopter transfer.
Through its subsidiary Amber Wings, ePlane's unmanned aerial vehicles are designed to rapidly move blood products, organs, vaccines, medicines, and diagnostic samples between facilities - cutting critical delivery times from hours to minutes.
As part of the collaboration, Apollo has indicated its intent to examine the possibility for orders for e200x air ambulances and Amber Wings' medical delivery drones. The MoU also outlines the possibility of a future strategic investment by Apollo in ePlane, subject to future agreement on terms. Both parties intend to work with India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation and other relevant authorities to help bring this vision to life, alongside continued discussions on infrastructure needed to support these operations.
