Chalet Hotels (K Raheja Corp Group) Signs Non-Binding Partnership with Sarla Aviation to Explore Urban Air Mobility and Vertiport Infrastructure at Hotel Properties
Strategic Partnership to Explore Air Mobility at Hotel Destinations
Sarla Aviation and Chalet Hotels Limited have signed a non-binding proposal to explore a strategic partnership in Urban Air Mobility (UAM), one that could fundamentally reimagine how travellers move between India's cities and its finest hotel destinations.
Chalet Hotels Limited (CHL), part of K Raheja Corp, is an operator, owner, developer and asset-manager of high-end hotels and luxury resorts in India. It comprises of 11 operating hotels & resorts with 3,300+ keys across globally recognized hospitality brands including JW Marriott, The Westin, Novotel Hotels, the newly launched Athiva Hotels & Resorts and more. The company operates hotels and hotel-led mixed-use developments in key metro cities in India such as Mumbai Metropolitan Region, National Capital Region, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune and Rishikesh.
Exploring Vertiport Integration
The partnership includes identifying existing helipads at Chalet Hotel properties that can be upgraded for vertiport infrastructure. A Joint Working Group will be established, pilot properties identified, and feasibility studies commissioned.
Feasibility assessments will be conducted on high density routes made possible with Chalet Hotels' portfolio, for example connection from Bangalore Airport to the vertiport located at the Marriott Hotel in Whitefield.
Air Taxi Connectivity for Guests
The partnership includes assessing the feasibility of scheduled or on-demand VTOL connectivity linking Bengaluru and other major cities directly to Chalet Hotel locations—cutting travel time dramatically and opening up destinations that were previously hard to reach.
The partners are co-developing a long-term vision for air mobility-based hospitality packages, integrating aerial connectivity directly into the guest experience.
Regulatory and Operational Framework
The partnership includes engaging jointly with the DGCA, State Government agencies, and local authorities to define protocols for vertiport approvals and airspace management—helping shape the regulatory future of UAM in India.
About Sarla Aviation
Sarla Aviation is an Indian aerospace company headquartered in Bengaluru, founded in October 2023, that develops electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for urban air mobility in India. The company was founded by Adrian Schmidt and Rakesh Gaonkar, both having prior experience at the German eVTOL firm Lilium, and has raised $13 million across pre-seed, seed, and Series A rounds, including investments from Accel, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, and Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal.
Shunya is the company's planned full-scale production eVTOL aircraft, a six-passenger (plus pilot) design intended for urban air taxi services, with potential uses in air ambulance and cargo. As of December 2025, Sarla Aviation has commenced ground testing on a sub-scale demonstrator and plans commercial operations by 2028–2029.
K Raheja Corp's Hospitality Platform
K Raheja Corp is India's leading Real Estate conglomerate, and a success story spanning six decades. Chalet Hotels represents the group's hospitality division and has expanded significantly in recent years. Chalet is augmenting its commercial real estate portfolio from the current size 2.4 million square feet to 3.3 million square feet.
Chalet Hotels' enhanced sustainability performance is reflected in the latest Dow Jones Sustainability Index with an overall score of 57 (CSA Score Date: 16/02/2024), and it is also the first hospitality company across the globe to commit to the three key Climate Group initiatives—RE100, EP100 and EV100.