Viaducts are not enough. So, could you just fly over jam?
What you wanted to do while weaving your way through crazy traffic is now a promise for 2026, which comes in the form of a partnership between the parent company of India’s largest airline and an American company – backed by aircraft giant Boeing – that makes flying five-seaters.
Archer’s taxi plane from California is called e-VTOL, an abbreviation for electric vertical take-off and landing.
InterGlobe Enterprises, owner of IndiGo, and Archer have announced plans to launch flying taxi services between Delhi and Gurgaon, the city of Bengaluru and its international airport, and Bandra and Colaba in Mumbai.
Sunrise before midnight?
Initial plans suggest it will be expensive, but not that much, and worth it for the time saved. (Imagine traveling to Gurgaon from Connaught Place in less than 10 minutes on a Monday morning).
Archer’s Indian-origin CCO Nikhil Goel describes the per-passenger cost of using this service as likely to be only a “small premium” over Uber. “For example, Delhi-Gurgaon costs INR 1,500-2,000 via Uber. An air taxi (per passenger) costs up to one and a half times that, or INR 2,000-3,000,” he says.
The rates for Uber, and all other aggregators, are dynamic and dependent on demand. Gurgaon-Delhi can also cost less than INR 1,000 if you don’t travel during the heavy rush.
The e-VTOL selected by Interglobe is Archer’s 12-rotor ‘Midnight’, which can accommodate a pilot and four passengers and can accommodate some luggage. The same model has been selected by US airline United, one of Archer’s backers, which has mapped out two routes for launch next year: between its hub in Newark and downtown Manhattan, and Chicago O’Hare and the windy city center. The UAE plans to use it for travel between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
American approvals were awaited
The Federal Aviation Administration approval needed to operate such services in the US is yet to come, such as the green light from DGCA in India, but Archer expects it this year. Once it starts flying in the US, India and the UAE will be the next destinations for e-VTOL, subject to government approval of course. Test flights will be conducted here, with the permission of the DGCA, before the commercial launch.
Delhi-NCR, where Interglobe is headquartered (in Gurgaon), is likely to be the first place in India to get an air taxi service. Besides Mumbai and Bengaluru, the other cities on the proposed air taxi flight route are Hyderabad and Chennai.
Goel said: “We are excited to partner with Rahul (Bhatia, Founder of IndiGo and Head of Interglobe) and the entire Interglobe team to launch electric air taxis. Interglobe is one of the strongest leaders in the aviation and hospitality space in the world, and we couldn’t be more proud of our partnership. We have made several trips to India to meet with key regulatory, government and industry leaders to help accelerate our progress in the region.”
The Interglobe-Archer deal
IndiGo’s parent company has signed up for 200 Midnight e-VTOLs in a deal worth $1 billion. IndiGo and Archer plan to work together to build vertiports (including charging facilities) and train pilots. When Bhatia signed this deal last November, he said, “We are excited about this new opportunity to provide an effective, futuristic and sustainable transportation solution by introducing Archer’s electric aircraft in India.”
Archer will begin production of Midnight at its Georgia facility this year. The company has partnered with automaker Stellantis to make air taxis in other places, including India. Archer’s major investors include United, which, apart from an equity investment, has placed an order for 200 eVTOLs and has an option to order an additional 100. While Boeing is helping with the technology, Stellantis (the Amsterdam-based company formed from a merger of Italian-American Fiat Chrysler and France’s PSA Group) is helping to introduce best practices for high-volume production, according to Goel.
