Contributor - Middle East

Peter Shaw-Smith

Bangalore could serve as India’s launch city for flights using eVTOL aircraft as Eve Air Mobility and Hunch Mobility—a joint venture between Hunch Ventures and Blade Air Mobility—work to bring electric commuter flights to the subcontinent.&nbsp;The companies are working with local, state, and federal officials, and IT technology and service providers to ensure the appropriate infrastructure is in place to introduce urban air mobility services.
“This launch city announcement is the next step in a great relationship that Hunch Mobility and Eve have built to co-create the urban air mobility ecosystem in India,” said Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve Air Mobility.&nbsp;“India is an incredibly important market for urban air mobility and our goal is to work with Hunch Mobility to provide residents with an additional efficient and affordable mode of transportation to ease commuting times in one of the most heavily populated cities in the world.”
Bangalore, located in Karnataka state, has an estimated population of more than 13 million people. Eve expects the electric aircraft to significantly reduce the carbon footprint, noise, and cost of flying, making them more accessible to India’s mass audience. Other eVTOL manufacturers, including <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2023-11-13/archer-stakes-claim-evtol-markets-uae-and-india">Archer</a>, have also announced plans to enter the Indian market.
“This collaboration with Eve Air Mobility underscores the commitment to contribute to India’s growth story by addressing the bottleneck of road congestion in the country. We look forward to introducing eVTOL flights that will democratize short-haul air mobility by offering affordable ticket fares and zero carbon emission,” said Amit Dutta, director of Hunch Mobility.
The company’s four-passenger eVTOL, now under development, would fly to a range of 100 kilometers (60 miles), allowing it to complete a variety of missions in Bangalore. The aircraft features a lift-plus-cruise configuration with dedicated rotors for vertical flight and fixed wings for cruise flight. Initially, the aircraft will be piloted but longer-term plans call for autonomous operations.
Eve became the first eVTOL manufacturer to sign a letter of intent in India as Hunch Mobility announced an agreement to purchase 200 eVTOLs and the company’s urban air traffic management solution. As part of the LOI announcement, Eve and Hunch embarked on a three-month-long pilot project, conducting intra-city helicopter flights in Bangalore.&nbsp;
Also on Tuesday at the Dubai Airshow, Eve and the UK's NATS signed a memorandum of understanding to develop urban air traffic management services for eVTOL operations worldwide.

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Eve Air Mobility Eyes Bangalore as Launchpad for India eVTOL Operations

India's massive population makes for an deal backdrop

Eve’s eVTOL is scheduled to enter service in 2026.

Dubai Airshow 2023

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Eve Air Mobility