InterGlobe Enterprises (InterGlobe), India’s leading travel and hospitality conglomerate and Archer Aviation (Archer), a pioneer in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, have jointly announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on launching and operating an innovative all-electric air taxi service in India, pending regulatory approvals.
Rahul Bhatia, Group Managing Director of InterGlobe, and Nikhil Goel, Chief Commercial Officer of Archer, signed the MOU, outlining their shared vision of introducing a cutting-edge transportation solution. The proposed partnership aims to enhance urban mobility in India through a safe, sustainable, and low-noise electric air taxi service, offering cost-competitive alternatives to ground transportation. The collaboration plans to engage local business partners for aircraft operations, vertiport infrastructure development, and personnel training. Additionally, the partnership envisions securing up to 200 of Archer’s Midnight aircraft for operations in India.
Archer’s Midnight aircraft, a four-passenger eVTOL, is designed for rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between them. The goal is to reduce travel time significantly, with a Delhi-to-Gurugram trip, typically taking 60 to 90 minutes by car, accomplished in approximately 7 minutes. Beyond urban air taxi services, the collaboration intends to explore various use cases for electric aircraft in India, including cargo, logistics, medical and emergency services, as well as private company and charter services.
Rahul Bhatia expressed excitement about this new venture, stating, “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.”
Archer’s CEO and Founder, Adam Goldstein, highlighted the potential impact of the collaboration, saying, “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.”
Nikhil Goel, Chief Commercial Officer of Archer Aviation, shared the enthusiasm, stating, “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.”
The collaboration addresses the growing issue of urban congestion, offering a sustainable and efficient solution. Archer’s electric air taxis aim to provide safe, low-noise urban mobility as India strives to become a US$5 trillion (£4 trillion) economy while tackling the challenges of a doubling urban population by 2050, with commutes in major cities projected to take up to two hours.
