 "Archer x InterGlobe")
Interglobe Enterprises (IGE), the parent company of IndiGo, partnered with US-based company Archer Aviation on Thursday to launch and operate a cost-competitive and futuristic all-electric air taxi service in India by 2026, starting with Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
The two companies inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday aimed at reducing growing ground travel congestion in major cities of the world’s most populous nation.
Electric air taxi operations in India are subject to regulatory approvals and clearances, the company said in a statement.
The two companies intend to work together to operate the aircraft, finance and build vertiport infrastructure, and train pilots and other personnel needed for these operations as part of the overall arrangement.
“At Archer, our goal is to make cities greener, smarter, more efficient places to live. We couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with Rahul and the InterGlobe team to bring our Midnight aircraft to Indian cities and fundamentally transform mobility across the country, with the goal of starting with Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru,” said Nikhil Goel, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Archer Aviation.
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A 27-km trip from Connaught Place to Gurugram, which takes around 60 to 90 minutes by road, will take approximately seven minutes on an InterGlobe-Archer flight, IGE said.
The IGE-Archer partnership plans to finance the purchase of up to 200 of Archer’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft - Midnight - for the Indian market.
The Midnight aircraft is a piloted, four-passenger electric aircraft with a range of about 160 kilometers. The aircraft is capable of performing back-to-back flights covering a distance of around 32 kilometers with a charging time of about 12 minutes in between, according to Archer’s website.
Rahul Bhatia, Group Managing Director of InterGlobe, and Goel from Archer, signed the MOU on Thursday and said the tie-up is aimed at a low-noise electric air taxi service that is “cost-competitive with ground transportation”.
“Over the last two decades, InterGlobe has been involved in providing safe, efficient, and affordable transportation to hundreds of millions of Indians across the country. We are excited at this new opportunity of bringing an effective, futuristic and sustainable transport solution by introducing Archer’s electric aircraft to India,” Bhatia said.
The two companies are exploring other use cases for electric aircraft in the country such as cargo, logistics, medical and emergency services, and private company and charter services.
“India is one of, if not the largest opportunity for eVTOL aircraft utilisation 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. Archer’s all-electric Midnight aircraft is designed to provide a revolutionary transportation solution that can help address these congestion issues,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder Archer Aviation.
Apart from India, Archer also signed an MOU with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) last month to launch commercial air taxi operations across the United Arab Emirates by 2026.
In November last year, Archer and US-based United Airlines announced the first commercial electric air taxi route in the US from Downtown Manhattan to Newark Liberty International Airport. Archer said it plans to launch the route by 2025.
