InterGlobe Enterprises is planning to launch and operate an air taxi service in India with Archer's all-electric eVTOL aircraft.

The two companies 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 partners also plan to finance the purchase of up to 200 Midnight aircraft from Archer for the Indian operations.

Archer's Midnight piloted aircraft is 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 trip the business hubs of Delhi's Connaught Place to Gurugram in around seven minutes; it typically takes 60 to 90 minutes by car.

The companies will investigate a variety of other use cases including cargo, logistics, medical and emergency services, as well as private company and charter services.

InterGlobe group managing director Rahul Bhatia says: "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 for an effective, futuristic and sustainable transport solution by introducing Archer's electric aircraft to India."

"I founded Archer with the vision to help decongest the world's largest cities. 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 with over 1.4 billion people. its largest cities face some of the greatest congestion challenges in the world," adds Archer CEO and founder Adam Goldstein, "Archer's all-electric Midnight aircraft is designed to provide a revolutionary transportation solution that can help address these congestion issues."

Archer CCO Nikhil Goel says: "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. We will start with Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru."

Urban congestion is not sustainable; the World Bank projects that the urban population will more than double by 2050 and short road commutes will take up to two hours in many of the world's largest cities. Archer's electric air taxis are designed to provide a safe and sustainable, low-noise urban mobility solution for India as it races towards becoming a $5 trillion economy.