InterGlobe Enterprises, which backs India’s top IndiGo Airlines and US-based Archer Aviation to jointly launch an electric air taxi service in India in the year 2026
Electric air taxis will soon be a reality in India as InterGlobe Enterprises and Archer Aviation have joined hands to launch the service in the year 2026. Christened as the ‘Midnight’, the air taxi will use eVTOL aircraft with a carrying capacity of 4 passengers and 1 pilot. Let’s have a look at the details.
To begin with, the Midnight aircrafts which will be used in the electric air taxi service is essentially an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) plane. It comes with a claimed range of up to 161 kilometres and has a sitting capacity of five individuals including one pilot. Initially, a total of 200 Midnight planes will be introduced for the service. One of the most congested cities in India, namely Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru will be the starting point of this electric taxi service.
The majority of the routes of this service will be limited to city limits and the company is targeting to reduce the 60-90 minutes of car travel time to just 7 minutes of air taxi flight. While the service will initially be intended for passenger travel, it will be extended to logistics and emergency medical services in a phased manner. Private charters are also a part of the plan.
The electric air taxi service will be launched by a partnership between the force behind India’s largest airline, IndiGo, InterGlobe Enterprises and US-based Archer Aviation. For the record, InterGlobe Enterprises holds around 38% stake in InterGlobe Aviation which is IndiGo Airline’s parent company.
Its hospitality and logistics business arm is also a part of the aforementioned 38% stake. Talking about Archer Aviation, the company will soon launch the air taxi service in UAE and recently, it locked a $142 million deal with the US Air Force to supply six of these Midnight aircraft. Chrysler parent Stellantis, Boeing and United Airlines hold the stakes in this US-based firm.
So, this innovation in urban mobility can be a game changer and we are very keen to see how the electric air taxi service turns out in real life. However, the cost of the service will be a major factor in the Indian context and will play a crucial role in deciding its feasibility.