Air taxis in 4 years: India on cusp of new revolution, says Scindia

BENGALURU: Union aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said that India is on the "cusp of a new revolution" with air taxis set to become a reality in the next 4-5 years.

Scindia, who has for the last two years been working to bring the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) ecosystem said the strong aviation network of India will be the foundation for the new urban air mobility revolution here.

The first step towards this was taken on Tuesday when US eVTOL major AIRO Group - that is headed by Indian-American businessman Chirinjeev Kathuria - entered into a partnership with chopper operator FlyBlade India to launch eVTOL operations in the country by 2027.

"Having an advanced air mobility conference in Bengaluru shows we are in the cusp of a revolution called technology in India. This will be unlike any other revolution seen so far. The concept of flying cars is now a reality," Scindia, who has invited global eVTOL players to make in India for India and the world said.

The AIRO-FlyBlade India partnership announced in Bengaluru on Tuesday includes Blade India’s "intended acquisition of 150 Jaunt (part of AIRO) Journey aircraft, with an option to order another 100 aircraft to meet the projected demand over the next decade," AIRO said in a statement.

"Jaunt Air Mobility, the electric air mobility division of AIRO, and its partnership with FlyBlade, demonstrates our company’s ability to capture both short-term and long-term objectives creating a sustainable future for the people of India,” said Chirinjeev Kathuria, chairman and co-founder of AIRO Group Holdings, Inc.

The companies will collaborate in critical areas to support future short-haul mobility operations including exploring development of key infrastructure capabilities in aircraft charging and energy distribution technologies.

Jaunt intends to use Blade India’s existing short haul operational and customer experience to support the development of the Jaunt Journey aircraft and its integration into the Indian airspace.

Blade India MD Amit Dutta said: “With its vast expanse and increasing congestion, India is one of the biggest markets in the world for air mobility solutions. With Blade's first mover advantage in nurturing the urban air mobility ecosystem in India and Jaunt’s technical expertise, this partnership is well poised to pioneer the transition to electric transportation system.”

Scindia said India's civil aviation sector has seen a strong V-shaped recovery post Covid.

"Till 2019, our highest daily domestic flyers number was 4.1 lakh in peak travel season. This March, a lean travel month, we have seen the daily domestic traffic touch 4.5 lakh, 10% more than peak travel figure in pre-Covid times. Railway carriers 18.5 crore passengers annually in first and second classes. India now sees 14.4 domestic flyers annually. But the CAGR (growth rate) for domestic aviation is 10.3% versus 5.6% for railway. In 4-5 years, civil aviation will be the bulwark for transportation in India (more people flying than travelling in train first and second class)," Scindia said, while describing this as the foundation for the advanced air mobility revolution here.

"You are at the right place, at the right time," the minister told eVTOL ecosystem players from across the world who has assembled in Bengaluru.

Boeing India president Salil Gupte said: "Average Indian commuter spends substantially more time (in city travel) than others. Technology can help India leapfrog in this area. We will require ecosystem like integrated airspace management."