Archer Aviation signs deal to launch its eVTOL air taxi service across the United Arab Emirates

A mere few months after receiving FAA certification to begin eVTOL test flights in the US, Archer Aviation has found its first international launch partner for all-electric air taxi services in the United Arab Emirates. Through a recently signed MOU, Archer will work to implement the necessary infrastructure to enable commercial services on the wings (or rotors, rather) of incentives from Abu Dhabi.

Archer Aviation ($ACHR) is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer currently as poised as ever to finally get its “Midnight” aircraft into the air since unveiling it in December 2022.

In its first five years of existence, Archer Aviation has established working relationships and significant investments from the likes of United Airlines and the US Air Force – a partnership that recently enabled an eVTOL purchase contract from the US Department of Defense for up to $142 million.

Automotive conglomerate Stellantis is also a longtime investor, signing on to exclusively help build the Midnight eVTOLs on US soil at a new facility in Georgia. This past May, Archer began rolling prototype Midnight eVTOLs off its assembly lines.

With a Special Airworthiness Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration already in place in the US, Archer has turned its focus to new continents with hopes to launch full-service air taxi operations and appears to have found a suitor in the United Arab Emirates.

According to a press release from Archer Aviation following a recent ceremony in Abu Dhabi, it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) alongside the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to launch commercial air taxi operations across the United Arab Emirates by 2026.

The ADIO will provide incentives to Archer to support the international launch, which will include erecting a second headquarters as well as an engineering Center of Excellence. Archer says it also plans to collaborate with local manufacturing companies and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) providers in Abu Dhabi to spearhead production of its eVTOL aircraft.

When commercial operations begin in the United Arab Emirates, Archer’s piloted, four-passenger air taxis will perform rapid back-to-back flights, replacing 60- to 90-minute car commutes with estimated 10-to-20-minute flights that are sustainable and cost-competitive. In addition to local partners in the Middle East, Archer says it will call upon current partner Stellantis to assist with eVTOL production and infrastructure. Per CEO Carlos Tavares:

We are excited to be working with Archer to begin establishing a high-volume manufacturing facility for the Midnight aircraft in the United States over the last couple of years. We hope this first production site will be a blueprint for future Archer manufacturing facilities as it expands operations to serve new regions, starting with the Middle East, where we see extraordinary potential for urban air mobility.

Other local aviation developers attended the signing ceremony, including Falcon Aviation and GAL-AMMROC. From this point, Archer says it remains in discussions with other industry participants and will announce MOUs in the future. Per Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein:

We are excited to announce this joint collaboration for the United Arab Emirates to become our first international market outside of the United States. Archer plans to partner closely with ADIO and the Department of Economic Development to bring manufacturing and operations for our air taxis to the region. Together, we are positioned to be a driving force in making all-electric air taxis a reality in the skies of the UAE and beyond in the coming years.

With a MOU now in place, Archer says it will showcase its Midnight eVTOLs used for air taxi rides in the United Arab Emirates during the Dubai Air Show November 13-17, followed by the ​Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF) hosted by ICAO and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) the following week in Dubai​.