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Flying taxis to hit UAE skies by 2026, slash 60-minute drives to 10 minutes

The aircraft is designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights

Published: Tue 17 Oct 2023, 10:07 AM

Updated: Tue 17 Oct 2023, 11:16 PM

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Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and US-based Archer Aviation have entered into an agreement with plans to commence air taxi operations in the UAE Capital and across the country in 2026.

Abu Dhabi will be the first international launch partner for Archer — a leader in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. As part of this strategic initiative, ADIO plans to support Archer with incentives for establishing its first international headquarters and manufacturing facilities in the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (Savi) Cluster in Abu Dhabi.

Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), revealed that the federal body has already inspected Archer’s Midnight electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

“The GCAA recently visited Archer Aviation’s global headquarters in California to inspect its Midnight aircraft and learn about their certification progress with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Our goal is to approve Archer’s air taxi to fly in the UAE as soon as it is certified by the FAA, and we are very excited to collaborate with them to bring electric air taxis to the country.”

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Badr Al-Olama, Acting Director General of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, noted: “We are thrilled to work with Archer to host their first international operations in Abu Dhabi. Bringing electric aviation to the UAE will help unlock congestion with zero emissions and, in turn, bring millions in foreign direct investment and thousands of jobs to the region over the next decade.”

According to the California company, it aims to transform urban travel by replacing 60 to 90-minute commutes by car with an estimated 10 to 20-minute electric air taxi flights.

Archer Aviation’s founder and CEO, Adam Goldstein, underlined: “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.”

Archer has raised more than $1.1 billion of funding to date, including investments from Mubadala Capital, United Airlines, Stellantis, and Boeing. Archer is expected to showcase its Midnight aircraft to the region for the first time at the Dubai Airshow, as well as the Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF) hosted by the GCAA next month.

Meera Al Suwaidi, head of value creation at Mubadala Investment Company, said: “Through our asset management subsidiary Mubadala Capital, we have been an investor in Archer for several years. We are looking forward to working alongside them for the debut of their Midnight aircraft at the Dubai Air Show later this year, and to continue discussions on further expanding our collaboration.”

Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, noted: “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.”

Archer’s Midnight is a piloted, four-passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights.

According to Archer, it is working with numerous industry partners across the UAE to support its plans to commercialise operations in the UAE by 2026. Archer signed MoUs with Falcon Aviation, which will operate its air taxis across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as GAL-AMMROC, which will provide MRO support for Archer’s eVTOL aircraft.

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