Air Taxi in Delhi-NCR could cut Gurugram-Noida International Airport travel time to just 30 minutes: CII study

The report also explores how electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft could offer a clean, high-speed alternative to conventional road and rail transport.

“AAM routes that can deliver a 3x-4x reduction in travel time-such as the 30-minute aerial corridor from Gurugram to Jewar Airport compared to 2.5 hours by road-represent transformative potential for urban transit and regional airport access,” the CII report noted.

Air Taxi in Delhi to ease traffic congestion

The report said Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is rapidly emerging as a transformative paradigm in next-generation urban transport, promising to address the twin challenges of traffic congestion and inefficient urban connectivity.

“Globally, cities are exploring AAM as a sustainable, high-speed alternative to ground-based transit, particularly for densely populated and infrastructure-constrained urban environments (World Economic Forum, 2024). India, facing similar challenges in its rapidly expanding metropolitan regions, is uniquely positioned to adopt AAM solutions tailored to its socio-economic, regulatory, and infrastructural context,” the CII report noted.

Air Taxi between Delhi and Gurgaon

According to CII, the aerial distance between Cyber Hub in Gurugram and Connaught Place (CP) is about 27–30 km in a straight line. However, the report noted that effective route planning must account for restricted airspace zones, including:

• Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) airspace
• Delhi Cantonment
• Lutyens’ Zone, including Rashtrapati Bhavan, Central Secretariat and Parliament House.

The report said that to ensure regulatory compliance (DGCA, 2023), the flight path would bypass central red zones by routing northward, possibly via Punjab Bagh, Civil Lines or Kashmere Gate, before approaching Connaught Place from the northeast.

“To ensure regulatory compliance (DGCA, 2023), the flight path would need to bypass central red zones by routing northward, possibly via Punjab Bagh, Civil Lines, or Kashmere Gate, before approaching Connaught Place from the northeast. This detour increases the practical flight distance to around 35–38 kilometres, but the segment can still be completed in under 12 minutes, significantly reducing the 60–90 minutes required by road during peak hours,” it added.

Air Taxi between Central Delhi and Noida International Airport in Jewar

According to the report, travelling by road from Connaught Place to the upcoming Jewar airport covers more than 100 km and usually takes 2 to 2.5 hours, while the proposed aerial route would take a southeast corridor, avoiding South Delhi’s dense urban areas.

According to CII, the proposed path would include the following:

• Avoid Tughlakabad, Okhla, and IGIA restricted zones
• Traverse over peri-urban villages such as Madangir, Jhatikra, Kanganheri, and Asgarpur
• Enter Uttar Pradesh territory near Dankaur or Pari Chowk

The report noted that the proposed segment would cover around 65-70 km, with an estimated flight time of 18-20 minutes under standard weather and airspace clearance conditions. “This hypothetical Advanced Air Mobility route for the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) is designed to facilitate high-speed aerial connectivity between key nodes, significantly reducing travel time compared to existing ground transport options,” it said.

Air Taxi on Gurugram-Delhi-Jewar corridor: Route

As per CII, the proposed Air Taxi service on the Gurugram-Delhi-Jewar corridor will follow:

• Northwest Entry (Gurugram): Flight path takes off from Cyber Hub / Udyog Vihar, rises to cruise altitude while maintaining vertical separation from IGIA ATZ, follows a curved trajectory toward Civil Lines to bypass Red Zone airspace.
• Central Delhi: Entry to Connaught Place is performed from a northeastern arc, avoiding Lutyens’ core. Landing zone could be a rooftop vertiport or repurposed stadium vicinity (e.g., IG Stadium).
• Southeast Exit (to Jewar): Departs CP northeast, arches around South Delhi’s restricted air corridors, transitions into Uttar Pradesh airspace, and descends into a dedicated vertiport zone near the Jewar terminal complex.

Development of Air Taxi infrastructure in Delhi-NCR

The CII report highlights that for the Gurugram-Central Delhi (Connaught Place)-Noida International Airport (Jewar) corridor, a phased vertiport strategy is essential to align infrastructure development with anticipated demand and operational complexity. It said the approach would involve repurposing existing helipads for initial operations, alongside the planned development of new vertiports integrated with urban infrastructure.

The CII report also proposed the establishment of a Gurugram-Delhi-Jewar Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Corridor Coordination Committee as a multi-state institutional mechanism to ensure timely and harmonised clearances for pilot AAM operations across jurisdictions.

“This proposed committee, which may be chaired by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), would operate with indicative but time-bound approval milestones to support early-stage AAM pilots,” it said.