Traveling amidst the traffic in Delhi-NCR can be very difficult at times. In such a situation, people may get a new option to travel by air in the near future. Preparations are underway to launch an electric air taxi from Noida International Airport. Through this, it can help with airport-to-airport transport as well as transport critical patients to hospitals in case of emergency.

For this project, an agreement or MoU has been signed between IIT Madras and the deep-tech startup The E-Plane Company (UBFly Technologies) associated with Noida Airport. Under this, necessary facilities, security arrangements and operational preparations will be made to operate air taxis.

An air taxi can fly directly overhead like a helicopter

The company plans to use its indigenous e200X electric aircraft in this service. This is eVTOL stands for Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing Aircraft. In simple language, it can fly straight up like a helicopter and can also land straight down.

For this reason, it does not require a long runway for takeoff and landing like a normal airplane. A special place is built to fly this type of aircraft, which is called Vertiport. It will be designed according to the take-off and landing of air taxis.

Vertiport and charging stations will be built at the airport

Under the MoU, there are plans to develop a Vertiport, charging station and testing facility for air taxis at the Noida airport premises. The airport will also have to make necessary changes in its existing Standard Operating Procedures i.e. SOPs, so that these aircraft can be operated safely.

The e-plane company will also have to obtain necessary approvals from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other relevant agencies to operate the aircraft. Company founder and director Dr. According to Satyanarayana Chakraborty, the operational methods will be tested through drone trials first. After this, the plan is to move on to flying e200X aircraft with pilots.

It will also be useful for taking patients to hospital

The use of air taxis will not be limited to transporting passengers from one place to another. This service will also provide an alternative to air ambulances for speeding up critical patients to hospitals. In an emergency, when there is a risk of delay due to road traffic, air travel can prove useful.

Apart from this, connectivity from Noida Airport to Delhi Airport and other parts of NCR is expected to improve. Since this aircraft is powered by electricity, it will not emit carbon during flight. However, its total environmental footprint will also depend on how the electricity is generated.

According to Noida Airport Chairman Daniel Burcher, the inclusion of advanced air mobility in the airport infrastructure is part of the plan to prepare connectivity for future needs. Currently, the project is in preparation and approval stage. The information about when this service will start and when the general passengers will be able to use it has not been disclosed yet.

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