Air taxi very much possible in near future: Scindia

| | New Delhi
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Air taxi very much possible in near future: Scindia

Friday, 27 August 2021 | PNS | New Delhi

India could be a major hub for air taxi services in near future. After announcing the notification of the new drone rules 2021, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said that air taxis, that will traverse the airspace instead of roads, will be very much possible in the coming days under the drone rules. "Air taxis are being researched and invented globally and many startups are coming up," the Minister said during a Press conference here.

"That time is not far when taxis, like the ones of Uber etc that you see on roads, you will see in the air under the drone policy. I believe this is very much possible," he added.

Worldwide the 'air taxi' is an idea starting to garner significant attention. Researchers at IIT-Kanpur are developing functional prototypes of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) craft, which have the potential to be used as flying taxis.

According to reports,  German flying taxi startup Volocopter has said it hopes to have a two-seater flying taxi - which looks like an oversized drone - in regular service in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In June, Hyundai had said it planned to have an air-taxi service in operation as soon as 2025.

The South Korean company is also developing air taxis, to be powered by electric batteries, that can transport five to six people from highly congested urban centres to airports.

According to these rules no security clearance is required before registration or issue of licence for the operation of drones. In addition, fees for these licenses have has been reduced significantly. Drone corridors will be developed for cargo deliveries, and coverage of drones has been increased from 300 kg to 500 kg to include heavy payload-carrying drones and drone taxis, or air taxis.

The minister said that the Defence Ministry, the Home Ministry and BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) have been working together so that "counter rogue drone technology" can be developed and adopted quickly.

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