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Rajiv Bansal will guide Sarla on aviation regulatory strategy and policy alignment along with scaling operations in its next phase of growth
Sarla Aviation announced the appointment of Rajiv Bansal, Former Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Managing Director, Air India to lead the company with regulatory advisory and strategy development towards certification. The move marks a significant milestone in the company’s mission to redefine the future of mass transportation in India. This strategic appointment reinforces Sarla’s commitment to pioneering safe, purpose-driven and accessible urban air mobility solutions in the Indian aviation landscape.
With an impressive career spanning over three decades in aviation policy and operations, Bansal brings unparalleled expertise to team at Sarla Aviation at a critical juncture as the company transitions from deep engineering to real-world deployment and flight testing. As a leading figure in the aviation ecosystem, having played a central role in shaping the nation’s civil aviation, his appointment signals strong institutional validation for Sarla’s vision to build India’s next-generation aircraft platforms.
Adrian Schmidt, Co-Founder & CEO, Sarla Aviation, excited, says, “It is an incredibly important step for Sarla to welcome Rajiv Bansal ji to our team, our ambition, and our company. His experience and leadership at the Ministry of Civil Aviation 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. For all of us, it is a rare opportunity to learn, listen, and build alongside one of the greatest aviation visionaries of our country. We enter this next phase of growth with great confidence and renewed ambition—and we are excited to serve the nation together.”
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. 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.
Speaking on his appointment, Rajiv Bansal said, “India is at a pivotal point in aviation, with the talent, ambition, and urgency to build sovereign aerospace capabilities. Sarla’s bold, full-stack approach – designing, engineering and building next-gen aircraft entirely in India represents both national strength and tech leadership. I am proud to support a team that is thinking long-term, building fearlessly, and setting a new benchmark for Indian innovation.”
Sarla’s next phase of growth focuses on transitioning from engineering excellence to deployment and testing excellence. This means tightening certification roadmaps, building world-class compliance systems, and securing regulatory approvals in key Indian and international markets—a phase where execution, credibility, and scale matter more than ever. In January 2025, Sarla Aviation had raised over $12 million from leading investors including Accel, Nikhil Kamath, Sriharsha Majety, and Binny Bansal, and unveiled its full-scale six-seater prototype, Shunya, at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2025 in Delhi.
