Concept of flying cars a reality and govt committed to supporting it, says Scindia

Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The concept of flying cars that we used to see in movies has become a reality, and the government is fully committed to supporting this mode of transport, said Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Delivering the Keynote address at the international conference and exhibition on Advanced Short Haul Air Mobility for All (ASHA): Technologies for Ease of Air-Transport, Mr Scindia said, “The concept of flying cars, which we used to see in movies like Blade Runner and Star Wars while we were growing up, is today a reality.”

Equal stakeholders

“Let me commit on this stage on the behalf of the Civil Aviation Ministry and on behalf of the Government of India that we are willing to be equal stakeholders with you and partner in this progress of setting up of what will be the seed of a new revolution of transport in the world starting with India,” he said.

Mr. Scindia referring to a market study conducted by Mckinsey, said close to 31% to 49% of Indians today would like to travel by Advanced Air Mobility in terms of short services to be able to save time.

“31% to 49% of Indians want to travel by Advanced Air Mobility. Imagine the market you are talking about. You are talking about 650 million people, two times the total population of the United States of America and 1.3 times the population of Europe combined. That is the market that is ready today in India to adopt ASHA as part of their daily activities,” Mr. Scindia said.

Infrastructure needs

He also stressed the need to scale up infrastructure to make Advanced Air Mobility using electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft a reality.

“We need to make sure that vertiports are built, short landing and take-off facilities are provided. Apart from setting up vertiports in each State, we also need to put in place charging vehicle systems for EVTOLs very much like the electric car market, which is burgeoning in India, EVTOLs must grow symbolically with the electric car market in India and those charging ports should be dual for cars as well as EVTOLs and that infrastructure needs to be setup,” he said.