Eve Air Mobility ties up with Gurugram firm to deploy air taxis in India within 5 years: Report

Brazil’s Eve Air Mobility (EAM) has tied up with Gurugram-based Fly Blade to bring air taxis to India within the next five years.

Eve Air Mobility, founded by Brazilian aerospace major Embraer, plans to bring electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOLs) to the country by as early as 2026, according to a Times of India report.

EAM has entered a pact for up to 2 lakh flying hours annually with Fly Blade. This means that the Embraer subsidiary will deploy 200 air taxis in India, and each will fly for 1,000 hours every year. The air taxis reportedly have a list price of $3 million apiece.

Incidentally, United airlines has invested $15 million in Eve Air Mobility and a conditional purchase agreement for 200 four-seat electric aircraft with deliveries expected to start in 2026. “This marks another significant investment from United in flying taxis – or eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle) – that has the potential to revolutionize the commuter experience in cities around the world,” the company said in a press release.

EAM’s co-CEO André Duarte Stein, meanwhile, termed India a country “most relevant for UAM (urban air mobility)” as he spoke about the deal to Times of India.

“Initially our eVTOL will be piloted; with a seating capacity for four passengers and cargo space - a must for airport service,” said Stein. “They will weigh about 2.5-3 tonnes (batteries will account for a quarter of this weight); have a maximum take off weight equivalent to a chopper and have a flying range of 100 km.”

The co-CEO of EAM, who has lived and worked in India for many years, added that Bengaluru alone has the capacity to absorb 300 air taxis. These eVTOLs can be used for commute between the city centre and the airport and nearby places, said Stein.

This is the plan for the first stage of air taxi deployment in India. In the second stage, EAM plans to launch six-seater automated air taxis that will run without a pilot.

“We expect Eve air taxis to start flying commercially by 2026 and India will be among the first countries to get them,” said Fly Blade India MD Amit Dutta. “We are very proud to bring this service to India in 2026 or shortly thereafter and our groundwork for creating the infra will begin immediately,” he added.