Connaught Place in Delhi to Gurugram via air for Rs 2,000–3,000? Is this going to happen? In 2026, the US-based Archer Aviation and parent company InterGlobe Enterprises, known to operate IndiGo, is going to introduce an all-electric air taxi service in India.
The service would help people travel from Delhi’s Connaught Place to Gurugram, Haryana, in just seven minutes. Archer Aviation planning to launch 200 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, which function similarly to helicopters but with less noise and more safety.
eVTOL aircraft may carry four people in addition to the pilot. Similar services would initially be introduced by the InterGlobe and Archer Aviation joint venture in Bengaluru and Mumbai.
The US-based Archer Aviation and InterGlobe Enterprises are in negotiations to start an all-electric air taxi service that will let people travel from Connaught Place in New Delhi to Gurugram in Haryana. The service, which is scheduled to begin in 2026, will reduce the road trip duration to half, from ninety-nine minutes to just seven minutes.
Initially, the companies plan to provide comparable services in Bengaluru and Mumbai as well. InterGlobe Enterprises is the parent firm of IndiGo, and the biggest airline in India based on market share. Boeing, the largest aviation manufacturer in the US, and Stellantis, a Dutch automaker, support Archer.
Archer Aviation will provide 200 electric vertical takeoffs and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for over $1 billion. The company claims that this aircraft can carry four passengers in a single flight (not including the pilot).
The seven-minute ride, which uses the company’s five-seater eVTOL aircraft, may cost between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000.
According to Adam Goldstein, the founder and CEO of Archer Aviation, discussions are currently taking place with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States, and the company’s aircraft certification process is progressing well. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation authority, will start the certification procedure once it is in place, which is anticipated to happen next year.
According to Goldstein, Press Trust of India is reporting that Archer Aviation plans to begin operating in India in 2026 and plans to use 200 of its Midnight aircraft for the purpose.
Further to reports, the plane there may take about 90 minutes and cost about Rs 1,500.
Nikhil Goel, Chief Commercial Officer of Archer, estimates that it will take 30 to 40 minutes to fully charge, with one minute of charging equivalent to one minute of flying as the Six battery packs will be used in the eVTOL aircraft.
It has been said that eVTOL aircraft will revolutionize urban air mobility. The low-altitude aircraft, which would bypass traffic to fly between cities and airports, must overcome several obstacles.
In addition, the US-based business is in talks on infrastructure and other facets of aircraft operations with several localities. Goel further stated that the joint venture may select partners for the eVTOL operations in India and that it will leverage all of InterGlobe’s capabilities. Discussions are also regarding the land needed for vertiports, launchpads, and other facilities needed to begin flying operations.
According to the plans, Archer Aviation will construct a manufacturing plant in the United States this year. Initially, the facility will be able to produce up to 650 planes, with the potential to create up to 2,000 planes.
The specifics of Archer Aviation’s joint venture with InterGlobe Enterprises are still being finalized. It and InterGlobe Enterprises inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last year.
