India (Commonwealth) _ Archer Aviation, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) Vehicle Company, has collaborated with InterGlobe Enterprises, an Indian travel and hospitality giant, to operate an all-electric air taxi service in India in 2026. If it is successful, it will be the South Asian country’s second foreign market outside of the United States to experience its ambitious air taxi operations, following the United Arab Emirates.
Both firms said Thursday that the service, which is still subject to regulatory permissions and clearances, will be “cost-competitive with ground transportation” and will use low-noise electric air taxis to boost urban mobility in the world’s most populated country. The business collaboration intends to fund the purchase of up to 200 Archer “Midnight” planes.
The electric air-taxi service, which will begin with routes in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, intends to complete a 17-mile trip in the national capital in 7 minutes – a journey that generally takes 60 to 90 minutes by automobile. The ‘Midnight’ e-aircraft can go up to 100 miles (161 kilometers) with four passengers and a pilot.
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Archer and InterGlobe intend to collaborate with domestic companies to run the electric aircraft, finance and install vertiport infrastructure, and educate pilots and other people. Aside from urban air taxi service, both businesses want to investigate freight, logistics, medical, and other applications for the aircraft. As well as private enterprise and charter services, and emergency services.
Archer, which counts Boeing and United Airlines among its backers, obtained a $142 million agreement with the US Air Force in August to deliver up to six Midnight trips. The California-based startup hopes that its eVTOL flights in metropolitan areas would replace vehicle commuting. In August, the business received Federal Aviation Administration approval to begin testing eVTOL flights in the United States. It also inked a memorandum of understanding with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office last month to begin operations in the UAE in 2026.
India is one of, if not the, world’s largest opportunity for eVTOL aircraft utilization, as it has the world’s largest population of over 1.4 billion people and its largest cities face some of the world’s most severe congestion challenges, according to Archer CEO and founder Adam Goldstein in a prepared statement. Archer’s all-electric Midnight aircraft is intended to deliver a game-changing transportation alternative that can assist alleviate traffic congestion.
With the new alliance, InterGlobe Enterprises, which backs India’s main airline IndiGo, hopes to grow its position in inexpensive transportation. InterGlobe is pleased about the potential to deliver an effective, innovative, and sustainable transportation option to India by introducing Archer’s electric aircraft, said Rahul Bhatia, InterGlobe’s group managing director.
Urban transportation in India has begun to face issues due to the country’s fast rise in the number of passenger and commercial vehicles in recent years, as well as restricted road extension and non-uniform highway geometrics among cities. While state officials have stressed the use of public transportation to minimize traffic congestion, the country has yet to find an effective answer and is considering next-generation possibilities, such as air taxis and hyperloop, to ensure a sustainable future.
If the cooperation receives regulatory approval, it will capitalize on a rising need for transportation solutions in India, which is dealing with significant ground traffic congestion and pollution in its major cities.
Archer Aviation, which is sponsored by Chrysler-parent Stellantis, Boeing, and United Airlines, manufactures electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, which are hailed as the future of urban air mobility. On June 10, 2021, Archer’s first demonstration aircraft was presented at a ceremony in Los Angeles, California.
