2024-04-23 01:29:23
New Delhi: The entire traffic scene in the capital Delhi may change in the next two years. People will see ‘air taxis’ flying in the sky. In fact, low-cost airline IndiGo’s parent company InterGlobe Enterprises and America’s Archer Aviation are planning to start ‘all-electric air taxi service’ in India in the coming two years. These futuristic air taxis will transport passengers from Connaught Place in Delhi to Gurugram in Haryana in just 7 minutes.
Air taxi service is expected to start by the year 2026. This will allow people to travel the distance of about 27 kilometers from Connaught Place to Gurugram by road in just 7 minutes.
According to reports, Archer Aviation has announced its commitment to provide 200 ‘Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft’. Each of these 200 aircraft has 12 ‘rotors’. Their total cost is estimated to be around $1 billion or approximately Rs 8,337 crore. These advanced aircraft will have the capacity to seat 4 passengers apart from a pilot. These will work like helicopters. However, the noise level in these will be low. Security measures will also be better.
Services will also start in Mumbai and Bengaluru
Apart from the national capital, the collaboration between InterGlobe and Archer Aviation is expected to initially launch similar services in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Archer Aviation founder and CEO Adam Goldstein has said that discussions are currently going on with the US regulatory body ‘Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The certification process for its aircraft is progressing well. Indian aviation regulator DGCA will begin its certification process after receiving certification from the FAA.
air taxi fare
A normal journey of 27 kilometers between Connaught Place and Gurugram usually costs around Rs 1500 by car. It takes approximately 1.30 hours to complete. A lot also depends on the traffic condition. Due to this the duration may also increase. The proposed air taxi service aims to take passengers from Connaught Place to Gurugram in just 7 minutes. Its estimated fare will be around Rs 2,000-3,000.
Goldstein said that this service will start in India by 2026. The target is to deploy 200 ‘Midnight aircraft’ for operational activities. The electric aircraft will have ‘six battery packs’. These will be fully charged in 30-40 minutes. Its Chief Commercial Officer Nikhil Goyal said that one minute of charge means roughly one minute of flight.