CHENNAI: US aircraft major Boeing is exploring a partnership with the Tamil Nadu government in developing and implementing a roadmap for the launch of air taxis or ‘flying cars’ in Chennai.
According to sources, the state is keen to develop an urban air mobility ecosystem or air taxis which will enable drone and short haul air transport operators to safely provide urban air transport in the greater Chennai Metropolitan Area. These ‘flying taxis’ will take off vertically and land without the aid of a runway.
Sources said development of urban air mobility (UAM) system in Chennai would be executed in a phased manner. It would start with the development of a roadmap for a fully functional UAM system enabling creation of vertiports, a designated area for vertical takeoff and landing without runway. It would also include a unified traffic management supported by communication, navigation and surveillance systems, capacity management, geo- fencing, a key capability for low-altitude unmanned aircraft system traffic management and zone management.
A Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority source told TNIE that initially the ‘air taxis’ would be used on an experimental basis to cater to logistics.
Boeing’s Research and Technology team and stakeholders from Vinata Aeromobility, The Eplane Company (IIT-M), Greater Chennai Traffic Police, Chennal Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority, Airports Authority of India, EMRI-GHS-TNHSP, Sense Image Tech, TNUAV, Guidance, Medical Supplies Corporation-TNMSC, Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project and Special Projects Greater Chennai corporation took part in a workshop organised by the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation. The workshop was held to discuss the eco-system for launch for air-taxis in the city.
Sandeep Nanduri, managing director of Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, highlighted the need for urban air mobility. “As the city crowd becomes denser there is an increased need for hyper mobility. Once we hit the limits of what can be achieved with metro and roads, we need new solutions that will address rapid logistics and mobility,” he said.
B Krishnamoorthy, project director, TIDCO said, “With the participation of various stakeholders, Chennai will become one of the first cities to implement the UAM programme.”
Sources said that Kallappa Pattada, executive director, Boeing India Engineering and Technology Centre, recommended that an extended partnership between all stakeholders is needed to study and suggest a comprehensive UAM solution for the metropolitan area.
UAM is the new frontier in the urban mobility space. The ePlane Company, which was incubated in IIT- Madras, has developed India’s first compact electric flying taxi, which once fully charged can fly up to 200 km.
Electric Vertical take off and landing aircraft are usually preferred over helicopters because of their cost and efficiency. The heli-taxis run on aviation turbine fuel and are considered more expensive.