Is it possible to travel from Chennai to Kolkata in just three hours on a ticket that costs ₹600? Yes, according to a business supported by the incubation cell at IIT Madras. A co-founder of Waterfly Technologies made the eye-catching assertion to the financial news blog Moneycontrol at Aero India 2025. In order to accomplish this, the firm is placing a wager on Wing-in-Ground (WIG) electric seagliders, which will use a design that enables them to launch from the water and soar to a height of about four meters, the company stated.
You Can Travel From Chennai To Kolkata In Just 3 Hours
Boosting Defence Innovation! Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurates the #iDEXPavilion at Aero India 2025, fostering cutting-edge solutions for India’s defence sector.
Engaging with startups, he witnessed firsthand the future of indigenous defence technology!… pic.twitter.com/iLjjPycfP1— Aero India (@AeroIndiashow) February 10, 2025
Compared to an AC three-tier train ticket, which costs more than ₹1,500, a WIG craft ticket from Kolkata to Chennai will only cost ₹600 per seat for a 1,600-kilometer trip. Harish Rajesh, the co-founder, claims.
Keshav Choudhary, another co-founder, told The New Indian Express how the business intended to do this. A physical phenomenon known as the ground effect by flying extremely close to the water’s surface will be utilised. This lowers the induced drag since the surface blocks the glider’s wing tip vertices.
Furthermore, because they are flying so near the surface, the air is forced between the craft and the water’s surface, creating an air cushion. They can fly at slower speeds and still carry the payload (passengers) thanks to the increased lift provided by this air cushion. These two elements work together to improve the lift/drag ratio and offer our design a fuel economy that is around ten times higher than that of an aeroplane, he stated.
This Is How It’s More Economical Than An Airplane
To put the numbers into perspective, an Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 flight from Chennai to Kolkata is said to need between 2.5 and 3 tonnes of aviation turbine fuel. In certain cities, aviation turbine fuel costs around ₹95000 per litre, but in other cities, it costs around ₹98,000 per litre.
Choudhary went on to say that their blended wing design also increases the craft’s efficiency. For a typical aeroplane, this type of flat design is problematic since it is hard to keep the pressure chamber in a flatter body. He also clarified why building seagliders will be far less expensive than building conventional aeroplanes. They don’t have to put up with low-pressure air because they don’t fly at high altitudes. As a result, they are spared the severe mechanical stress required to maintain the pressure chamber that regular aeroplanes must experience. This lowers the cost of manufacturing.
The plan is still in its infancy. Only the design was displayed at Aero India. By April 2025, the business hopes to have a 100 kg prototype ready, and later that year, a one-tonne prototype. According to Waterfly, a full-scale model with a 20-seat capacity should be available by the following year. People may eventually be able to travel from Chennai to Kolkata using this model.
Cover Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
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