Hyderabad: InterGlobe Enterprises, the parent company of IndiGo airlines, and US-based Archer Aviation said that they will launch India's first air taxi service in 2026. The first service would be between Delhi's Connaught Place and Gurugram in Haryana, which can be completed in seven minutes, compared to 90 minutes by road.
Archer Aviation will manufacture 200 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for the taxi service in India.
Archer Aviation said the Connaught Place-Gurugram trip would cost about `2,000 to `3,000, against `500 in app-based taxi services for the 30-kilometre journey. Initially, it will be focusing on Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Archer Aviation founder and CEO Adam Goldstein says discussions are ongoing with the US regulator Federal Aviation Administration for the certification of its aircraft. The certification is expected by next year and after that India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation will have to approve the safety of the aircraft.
Goldstein said that after securing approvals, the company planned to start flights in India by 2026 with 200 planes.
Air taxis are in the operations stage in many advanced countries and are looking at 2026 to start air taxi services. China-based Guangzhou EHang Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd secured in late last year a “type certificate” for an eVTOL taxi service.
