Amber Wings, an aerospace and drone startup incubated at IIT Madras, received the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Type Certification for its hybrid cargo drone, ATVA-1. The startup said the certification opens the door for high-frequency, last-mile deliveries utilising drones that are planned, developed, and produced entirely in India.

The ATVA-1 has been approved for commercial use round-the-clock, seven days a week, including night missions. It was built over six design iterations.

According to Amber Wings, this certification demonstrates that the ATVA-1 meets safety standards and is ready for large-scale deployment. Earlier, the startup received DGCA’s nod for its agricultural drone, Vihaa.

Amber Wings said that while its hybrid cargo drone is currently not certified for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, the platform is fully capable of flying autonomously.

The industry body, the Drone Federation of India, has been pushing for a policy on BLVOS and has submitted draft recommendations based on startup-led trials on the technology to prove safety, reliability, and failure management standards that could help the industry scale operations.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation estimates that India’s drone industry could surpass ₹5,000 crore by 2030. Amber plans to capitalise on the market by manufacturing drones for e-commerce, healthcare delivery, manufacturing, and emergency services.

Satya Chakravarthy, founder of Amber Wings and a professor of aerospace engineering at IIT Madras, said, "We believe the ATVA-1 will be a disruptive force in the logistics industry. Its unique capabilities are set to redefine the standards of aerial cargo transportation in India and across the globe."

Looking ahead, Amber Wings plans to expand its ecosystem with upcoming platforms like the ATVA-2, Multi-50, and QuadCopter, as well as the e50 and e100 drones designed for heavier payloads. Most of these models are developed and await certification, the startup said.