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Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle company Archer Aviation plans to launch air taxi operations in Abu Dhabi in 2026, making the city its first international market outside the United States.
From there, Archer plans to launch an air taxi service in the UAE as part of the company’s recently signed memorandum of understanding with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO).
Plans to develop a UAE air taxi follow the California-based company’s $142 million deal in August to provide six of its “Midnight” aircraft to the US Air Force. In May, Archer completed final assembly for Midnight, which can carry four passengers and a pilot and has a range of up to 100 miles.
Archer wants to replace 60 to 90 minute car journeys in urban areas with 10 to 20 minute eVTOL flights. Midnight is designed to operate rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights.
In August, Archer received Federal Aviation Administration certification to begin test eVTOL flights in the U.S. According to Director General Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, once Archer’s air taxis are fully certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, The UAE will approve them for use in the country. of the General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates.
As part of Archer’s deal with ADIO, the agency will provide incentives for Archer to establish its first international headquarters and manufacturing facilities within Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) cluster.
SAVI, a subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, was recently launched in Masdar City – a sustainable urban community in Abu Dhabi – to attract foreign companies and support the innovation and commercialization of smart and autonomous vehicle technologies. Made by Masdar. Mubadala is one of Archer’s supporters.
“Bringing electric aviation to the UAE will help reduce congestion with zero emissions and, in turn, bring millions of foreign direct investments and thousands of jobs to the region over the next decade,” he said. Badr Al-Olama, acting director-general of Abu Dhabi Investment Office, said in a statement.
Many of the vehicles launching in the UAE will be built in partnership with Stellantis – the automaker agreed to mass produce the Archer’s eVTOL in January. Archer is also looking at partnering with local manufacturers and plans to create a center of excellence in Abu Dhabi where the company will focus on building the next generation of aviation technologies.
According to Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, the Stellantis manufacturing facility in the US will serve as a “blueprint for future Archer manufacturing facilities”.
Along with its MoU with ADIO, Archer also signed agreements with helicopter charter service Falcon Aviation and aviation maintenance company GAL-AMMROC, respectively, will operate its air taxis and provide maintenance, repair and overhaul service support on the ground.
