InterGlobe Enterprises and US-based Archer Aviation are in talks to launch an all-electric air taxi service  that will carry passengers from New Delhi's Connaught Place to Haryana's Gurugram. The service, which will be launched in 2026, will reduce the travel time by road by about 92 per cent (from 90 minutes to just seven minutes). The companies will also roll out similar services in Mumbai and Bengaluru to begin with. InterGlobe Enterprises is the parent company of IndiGo, India's largest airline by market share. Archer is backed by the Netherlands-based carmaker Stellantis and US-based aircraft giant Boeing.

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Here are 10 things to know about this news: 

  • Archer Aviation will supply 200 electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft at a cost of around $1 billion. This aircraft, which operates like a helicopter, can carry four passengers at a time (excluding the pilot), according to the company. 
  • The cost of the seven-minute flight operated with the company's five-seater eVTOL aircraft could be around Rs 2,000-3,000.
  • Archer Aviation Founder and CEO Adam Goldstein has said that talks are underway with the US regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with the certification process for its aircraft being at an advanced stage. The certification is expected next year and once that is in place, the process will be initiated for the certification by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India's aviation regulator.  
  • Archer Aviation expects to start flights in India in 2026 and aims to have 200 of its Midnight planes for the operations, Goldstein told news agency Press Trust of India.  
  • With its flights, the duration of a flight from Connaught Place to Gurugram will be around seven minutes and the cost could be Rs 2,000 to 3,000, a journey that could take around 90 minutes by car at about Rs 1,500, according to Goldstein.
  • The eVTOL aircraft will have six battery packs. It will get fully charged in 30-40 minutes wherein one minute of charging broadly translates to one minute of flight, according to Archer's Chief Commercial Officer, Nikhil Goel.
  • eVTOL aircraft have been touted as the future of urban air mobility. The low-altitude aircraft would travel between cities and airports avoiding traffic, but face a number of challenges before they can become a reality.
  • The US-based company is also in discussions with various municipalities with respect to infrastructure and other aspects of flight operations. Goel said it will use the full strength of InterGlobe and the joint venture might choose partners for the eVTOL operations in India. Talks are also underway with respect to the real estate space required for vertiports or the launchpads and other infrastructure for starting the flight operations.
  • Archer Aviation will be opening its manufacturing facility in the US this year and initially, it will have a capacity to produce up to 650 planes and the same will be enhanced to 2,000 planes.
  • Archer Aviation will have a joint venture with InterGlobe Enterprises, the final contours of which are being worked out. Last year, it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with InterGlobe Enterprises.

With inputs from agencies