5 days ago
UAE: Piloted flights of flying taxi to begin in the coming days, says Archer CEO
The US-based Archer Aviation, which will launch flying taxi operations in the UAE, is expected to begin piloted flights in the coming days ahead of the formal launch of services in Abu Dhabi later this year, said Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer.
'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… 2025 is an inflexion point on the commercial front. After years of engineering work and flight tests, the team is focused on transitioning to piloted operations in early commercial deployment. We remain on track to launch (flying taxi) later this year in the UAE, and are preparing for subsequent deployments with Midnight launch edition customers and several other international markets,' Goldstein said during the investor call after the second quarter results on Monday.
'The goal is for us to demonstrate the aircraft's capabilities, drive public acceptance, build operational excellence and generate early revenue. We remain on track to deliver our first piloted aircraft as part of that programme to Abu Dhabi aviation in the UAE later this year. We've already started the flight test programme for that aircraft here in California, and we expect piloted flights to begin in the coming days,' he said.
Archer has tied up with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (Adio) to launch, train staff and manufacture its flying car Midnight in the UAE.
Archer signed definitive agreements with its partners, Abu Dhabi Aviation and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, to activate the first of several planned 'lunch edition' programmes globally. As part of this, Archer delivered its first Midnight aircraft to the UAE, commenced its flight test programme in Abu Dhabi and expects initial commercial payments later this year.
'In the second quarter, we ramped aircraft manufacturing across our facilities in California and Georgia with six Midnight aircraft in production, including three in final assembly. Alongside major progress in the UAE, our selection as the Official Air Taxi Provider of LA28 Olympic Games, and two acquisitions to accelerate our defence program, we're executing from a position of strength with a sector-leading $1.7 billion of liquidity,' said Archer's founder.
He said the company has been focusing on a commercially viable product.
'The aircraft testing we have been doing leading up to our planned early deployment in the UAE is critical for ensuring safety.'
He added that Archer teams are collaborating through joint working sessions in the UAE and California, and the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is closely tracking all the progress with Midnight as they work with Archer on the pathway to begin flying passengers in the country.
He added that other potential early adopter markets are also taking stock of what they are seeing in the UAE. 'We're seeing demand in a number of other countries for our launch edition programme.'
Highlighting Archer's plan over the next few months ahead of the launch of the flying tax in Abu Dhabi, he said: '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,' he said.
