What Are Air Taxis? Will the New Drone Policy Pave Way for Air Taxis?

We explain what air taxis are and what is its future in India.

India's first Air Taxi from Chandigarh to Hisar, costs Rs 1,755 for two ways.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

The Ministry of Aviation published its new liberalised drone policy on Thursday, 26 August, hinting at the launch of air taxis in the near future.

"Air taxis are being researched globally... and many startups are coming up. The time is not far when like taxis that you see on roads, like Uber, etc, you will see see taxis in the air under the new drone policy. I believe this is very possible," Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in a press conference.

What is an Air Taxi?

An air taxi is a passenger service which typically makes short flights to provide people with on-demand flights to locations within the taxi's service region.

Specialised aircrafts such as very light jets may be part of such services, offering seats to a small number of passengers. The air taxi has the capacity to seat one pilot and three passengers.

How is The New Drone Policy Paving Way for Air Taxis?

India has more than 200 startups in India’s drone ecosystem, so the new drone policy will only help these companies take their products to the next level, which could pave the way for unmanned aerial vehicle transportation.

As per the new drone policy, the Indian government has made it easier to obtain a licence and drone corridors will be created to ease cargo deliveries.

Meanwhile, the Indian government has already granted conditional permission to 10 organisations, such as Mahindra and Mahindra, SAIL and Bayer Crop Science, that will allow them to test heavy drones over the next year.

Is there Any Air Taxi Service in India?

The country's first air taxi service was launched from Chandigarh, the capital of Haryana and Punjab states. The inaugural flight of the air taxi service operated by the Air Taxi Aviation Company took off from Chandigarh for Hisar in Haryana the other day.

What is the Fare of Air Taxis?

Fares of these air taxis will not be very costly. India's first Air Taxi from Chandigarh to Hisar, costs Rs 1,755 for two ways.

Which Routes Will Be Popular for Air Taxis?

Air taxi services will provide air connectivity between metros and Tier-2, Tier-3 cities across the country. The government is giving per seat subsidy to airliners in order to connect cities with smaller towns.

Are Air Taxis Safe?

It should be noted that air taxis have the highest commercial airline accident rate in the United States per 100,000 hours flown.

From January 1990 to July 1991 air taxis had about 13 times and 6 times more accidents than air carriers and commuters, respectively.

Air taxis will only be a success with passengers, not only if they are commercially viable but also if safety is the top priority of the air travel companies.