InterGlobe Enterprises, the parent company of India’s top airline IndiGo, and US-based Archer Aviation will launch an all-electric air taxi service in India soon, that will carry passengers from Connaught Place in the national capital to Gurugram in Haryana in just 7 minutes. In a car, for the 27-kilometre distance, it would take around 90 minutes.
iStock
InterGlobe Aviation’s US partner Archer Aviation said the operations are expected to start in 2026. The planes, each having 12 rotters, will cost around $1 billion. The cost of the seven-minute flight operated with the company’s five-seater eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft from Connaught Place to Gurugram in Haryana could be around Rs 2,000 to 3,000, according to Archer Aviation executives. According to Archer Aviation CEO Adam Golstein, the cost for the 27-kilometre ride would be about Rs 1,500.
iStock
3/5
Air taxi service in these cities
Initially, Archer Aviation will be focusing on Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, according to a PTI report. Archer Aviation Founder and CEO Adam Goldstein told PTI that certification process for its aircraft is at an advanced stage. The certification is expected next year and once that is in place, the process will be initiated for the certification by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
iStock
Archer Aviation will supply 200 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that can carry four passengers besides a pilot and operate just like helicopters but with lesser noise and better safety. The five-seater Midnight aircraft will be able to accommodate the pilot and four passengers. The plane, which will have six battery packs, will get fully charged in 30-40 minutes and one minute charge broadly translates to one minute of flight, Archer Aviation Chief Commercial Officer Nikhil Goel said.
iStock
The US-based company is also in discussions with various municipalities with respect to infrastructure and other aspects of the flight operations. Discussions are also going on with respect to the real estate space required for vertiports or the launchpads and other infrastructure for starting the flight operations. Archer Aviation will be opening its manufacturing facility in the US this year and initially, it will have a capacity to produce up to 650 planes and the same will be enhanced to 2,000 planes.
