Are the air taxis going to be a reality soon? Travellers in India will soon be able to commute across cities by air frequently, and no, it doesn’t mean by flight. EaseMyTrip founder Prashant Pitti, in his 10-year-ahead-of-time thinking as an entrepreneur, said a lot of intra-city travel will go away.
As an owner of a popular online travel firm, Pitti said the primary mode of travel in ten years is not going to be vehicles but ‘air taxis’.
In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Pitti said airspace is abundantly available, and except for the airlines, opportunities are not being explored enough for air mode of travel.
“The altitude between 1,000 to 10,000 feet is abundantly available…I believe it is five years ahead (when air taxis will be available). It will be cheaper because it doesn’t need to be driven by a pilot. It is going to be autonomous,” he said.
Nishant Pitti, the company’s co-founder, also resonated with Prashant by expressing his excitement for the future of travel in India.
“Absolutely! @ppitti, co-founder of @EaseMyTrip, envisions a future where air taxis and travel pods redefine travel in India. 🇮🇳 Exciting times ahead!” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), sharing a clip from the interview.
Prashant Pitti further said the challenges in this arena are about building a proper infrastructure in collaboration with the stakeholders, including the aviation industry and the government.
Research and development around air taxis
Several industry leaders have stepped into the possibility of carrying travellers using air taxis. Hyundai has recently developed an advanced electric flying taxi, also called electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, which can carry four passengers and will be powered by solid-state batteries.
InterGlobe Enterprises, which runs the low-cost airline IndiGo, plans to launch an all-electric air taxi service across India in 2026. The air taxis will take passengers from Delhi’s Connaught Place to Gurugram in nearly seven minutes, a distance which takes 60-90 minutes to cover by road.
“In addition to urban air taxi services, the parties plan to pursue a variety of other use cases for the electric aircraft in India, including cargo, logistics, medical and emergency services, as well as private company and charter services,” the company said.
