7 days ago
Piloted flights of UAE's flying taxi to start in the coming days
Archer Aviation, the US-based eVTOL aircraft manufacturer, has announced that piloted flights of its flying taxi service in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will start in the coming days.
'We expect the first piloted flight to take place within days. We've got a lot of confidence that we'll be in there soon,' Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said on Monday during the investor call after the second quarter results.
Goldstein expressed confidence that Archer remains on track to launch the flying taxi service later this year in the UAE.
Archer had signed definitive agreements with Abu Dhabi Aviation and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office for the launch of the world's first flying taxi service. As part of the deal, Archer delivered its first Midnight aircraft to the UAE and commenced its flight test program in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
'Over the next several months, firstly, we're going to deliver an aircraft to the UAE later this summer. We'll start by doing some incremental testing out there, like validating performance in the higher temperature environment. Then we'll move on to improving routes on our intent networks in Abu Dhabi on the broader UAE, and then ultimately working towards sharing passengers again with Abu Dhabi Aviation,' Goldstein said.
Archer's Midnight aircraft is fully electric and emission-free and it is designed to handle short-haul urban journeys, such as airport-to-downtown commutes. It is expected to slash travel times, reduce road congestion and offer a quieter and sustainable transportation alternative.
In June, Archer conducted the first test flight of the air taxi, which took off from the helipad of Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal and cruised above the Abu Dhabi Marina.
ADIO, in collaboration with @ehang and @multilevelgroup, hosted a landmark test flight of an autonomous electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Abu Dhabi.@saviabudhabi @gcaauae
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— Abu Dhabi Investment Office (@InvestAbuDhabi) June 13, 2025
Ahead of the commercial launch, in July UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) had allowed the use of existing helipads for take-off and landing of electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft (eVTOLs).
