Ditch the wheels: Air taxis to meet Chennai’s future travel needs
According to the plan, eVTOLs could revolutionise urban mobility by offering quick, direct routes across the city
Comprehensive Mobility Plan
CHENNAI: The Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) 2023-2048 has identified air taxis as a futuristic mobility option for the Chennai Metropolitan Area, proposing electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft as a potential solution to support the plan.
According to the plan, eVTOLs could revolutionise urban mobility by offering quick, direct routes across the city. These aircraft promise reduced travel times for commuters, minimal noise and zero emissions, making them suitable as an augmenting service in busy urban areas. They operate similarly to helicopters but are quieter, fully electric and capable of vertical take-off and landing. However, the CMP stresses that this remains an evolving technology currently under research and development or pilot testing.
Within the Chennai Metropolitan Area, the CMP states, the two airports – Chennai and Parandur – can serve as the primary vertiports. It further suggests that major level 1 and level 2 multimodal integration hubs such as Central, Egmore, Kilambakkam, Tambaram, Guindy, Vadapalani and Chengalpattu could incorporate verti-stops to improve connectivity.
The plan also highlights the potential for extending the eVTOL network to key campus areas and nearby satellite or tourist towns, specifically mentioning Mahabalipuram and Tirupati. Overall, the CMP notes that air taxi travel times could be reduced by up to 90 per cent, offering a dramatic improvement over current surface travel during peak congestion.
The CMP lists the indicative performance of eVTOLs as a speed of 240 km per hour, fully battery-operated, with a present operational range of 80 km. However, several challenges must be addressed before such services become viable. The CMP notes that commercial operations would require a green light from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Dedicated vertiport infrastructure, requiring 650 to 800 sq m, also needs to be established. Airspace management is identified as another key requirement.