India’s travel and hospitality conglomerate, InterGlobe Enterprises, has inked a partnership with Archer Aviation to launch and operate an all-electric air taxi service in India.
California-based Archer Aviation is a leader in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Rahul Bhatia, group managing director of InterGlobe, and Nikhil Goel, chief commercial officer of Archer, have signed an MOU to develop the air taxis and “provide a revolutionary transportation solution for the country, improving urban mobility with safe, sustainable, and low-noise electric air taxi service that is cost-competitive with ground transportation.”
Signing ceremony at InterGlobe headquarters in New Delhi between group managing director of InterGlobe, Rahul Bhatia, and COO of Archer Aviation, Nikhil Goel)
The parties intend to work with select in-country business partners to operate Archer’s aircraft, finance and build vertiport infrastructure, and train pilots and other personnel needed for these operations.
The partnership also plans to finance the purchase of up to 200 of Archer’s Midnight aircraft for the India operations.
Archer’s Midnight aircraft is a piloted, four-passenger electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights.
The goal is for a passenger on an InterGlobe-Archer flight to be able to fly the 27km Delhi trip from Connaught Place to Gurugram, typically taking 60 to 90 minutes by car, in approximately seven minutes.