A cooperation between the Gurugram-based Fly Blade and Eve Air Mobility (EAM), a division of Brazilian aerospace giant Embraer, aims to introduce electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs), often known as air taxis, to India within the next five years. Eve Air taxis are anticipated to begin operating commercially by 2026, and India will be one of the first nations to receive them, according to Fly Blade India MD Amit Dutta.
EAM has contracted with Fly Blade for up to 2 lakh flying hours per year. This implies that the provider of urban air transportation will use Blade to deploy 200 air taxis, with each one doing 1,000 hours of flight time annually in India. The list price for each of these air cabs is $3 million. According to Eve Air Mobility co-CEO Andre Duarte Stein, India is ‘particularly significant for UAM’ and deliveries there would begin within a few weeks or months of the nation going into operation in 2026.
The air taxis, which Stein claimed are essential for airport operations, would first be piloted and have a seating capacity for four people as well as luggage space. The co-CEO, who has long since lived and worked in India, stated that the eVTOLs will weigh around 2.5 to 3 tonnes and have a flying range of 100 kilometres. Each of these air taxis will be able to take off with a maximum weight comparable to a helicopter.
EAM intends to provide six-seater autonomous air taxis in India’s second phase of air taxi deployment. These vehicles would operate without a pilot. According to Dutta, Fly Blade will concentrate on creating the ecosystem necessary for the introduction of air taxis in India over the next three years. These will include building the necessary ‘vertiports’ (eVTOL airports) and aviation navigation systems. At the moment, Blade offers helicopter services between Shirdi, Pune, and Mumbai.
According to the Free Press Journal, customers may reserve a seat for the service for less than Rs 10,000. Atlantis at the Palm is intended to use eVTOL taxis, which will help the air mobility industry. Additionally, United Airlines made a $15 million investment in Eve Air and signed a conditional purchase deal for 200 electric four-seaters. Deliveries from the startup in electric aircraft are anticipated to begin in 2026.
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