Summary
- InterGlobe Enterprises, the parent company of IndiGo, has partnered with Archer Aviation to launch an all-electric air taxi service in India in the coming years.
- Archer’s Midnight aircraft could fly a 27-km Delhi trip in approximately 7 minutes, compared to the 60-90 minutes it takes by car.
- This partnership is part of a growing trend, with multiple eVTOL companies, including Archer, looking to establish air taxi services in various countries.
The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft segment has received a strong endorsement in India as InterGlobe Enterprises – the parent company of India’s biggest airline, IndiGo – has signed an MoU to introduce air taxi services in India. The buzz around air taxis is growing across the world, with several aerospace companies racing to sign deals in different markets.
MoU signed
InterGlobe Enterprises, the company that owns India’s largest airline, IndiGo, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Archer Aviation Inc., a California-based company in the electric aviation space, to launch and operate an all-electric air taxi service in India.
Photo: Archer Aviation
Rahul Bhatia, Group Managing Director of InterGlobe, and Nikhil Goel, Chief Commercial Officer of Archer, met in New Delhi and signed the MoU with the goal of launching the service across India in 2026. Of course, the deal is subject to appropriate regulatory approvals and clearances. Archer’s CEO and Founder, Adam Goldstein, commented,
“I founded Archer with the vision to help decongest the world’s largest cities. India is one of, if not the largest opportunity for eVTOL aircraft utilization in the world, as it is home to the world’s largest population of over 1.4 billion people and its largest cities face some of the greatest congestion challenges in the world.”
Reducing commute time
The deal highlighted how Archer’s Midnight aircraft, a piloted, four-passenger eVTOL, could decrease commuting time in some of the most congested cities in India. Taking New Delhi as an example, Archer said that the “goal is for a passenger on an InterGlobe-Archer flight to be able to fly the 27-km Delhi trip from Connaught Place to Gurugram, typically taking 60 to 90 minutes by car, in approximately 7 minutes.”
Photo: Archer Aviation
InterGlobe and Archer plan to work with select in-country business partners to operate Archer’s aircraft and also finance and develop vertiport infrastructure. The collaboration will also assist in training pilots and other personnel needed for these operations. Overall, the partnership aims to finance the purchase of up to 200 of Archer’s Midnight aircraft for operations in India.
This isn’t the first time an eVTOL company has looked toward India. Last year, Eve Air Mobility announced a strategic partnership with FlyBlade India (BLADE India) – a joint venture between New York-based urban air mobility platform Blade Air Mobility and New Delhi-based investment firm Hunch Ventures – that included a non-binding order of up to 200 eVTOLs.
Are air taxis the future?
The latest partnership in India is one of many that have sprouted in recent times. Last month, Archer also signed an MoU to launch eVTOL taxi service in the United Arab Emirates. The deal aims to establish the service in 2026 as well and expects partnerships with local Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) providers.
In October, eVTOL manufacturer Wisk became the first air taxi company to provide public flights in Los Angeles with autonomous passenger flights tested at Long Beach airport. Several other similar developments suggest that air taxis could, indeed, become a reality in the near future.
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