Latest news with #pilotedflights
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
UAE: Flying taxi services closer as Archer, Joby complete first and longest piloted flights
Flying taxi services in the UAE have moved a step closer to reality, as Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation successfully completed their first and longest piloted flights. Joby Aviation signed a definitive agreement with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in February 2024 to launch air taxi services in Dubai by 2026. Meanwhile, Archer Aviation has partnered with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to introduce flying taxi services in Abu Dhabi. Both companies are expected to roll out their services later this year or next year. On Monday, Archer announced that its Midnight aircraft successfully completed its longest piloted flight to date, covering approximately 55 miles in 31 minutes at speeds exceeding 126mph. The flight took place at Archer's flight test facility in Salinas, California. Test flights in the preceding week reached speeds of nearly 150mph over a variety of patterns. This latest achievement advances toward certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US and near-term commercialisation in the UAE. 'Crossing the 50-mile mark at speed is another clear step toward commercialisation that shows the maturity of our programme,' said Adam Goldstein, Archer's founder and CEO. Midnight flight test pilots will continue to expand speed and duration, and test mission profiles that map to early commercial operations in the UAE. US-based Archer Aviation last week said it would expand on its in-country operations in the UAE, including pilot training, maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) setup and flight testing to gather additional data for certification and commercialisation plans in the UAE and the US over the coming quarters. Joby's successful piloted flight Meanwhile, Joby Aviation said it successfully completed its first piloted flight between two US airports in controlled airspace. Set to launch its commercial flying taxi service in Dubai in the first half of 2026, Joby's piloted flight lasted approximately 12 minutes over 10 nautical miles. It included five minutes in a holding pattern for air traffic spacing, reflecting the progress the electric air taxi firm is making toward securing approval from the US regulator to launch commercial service. In February 2024, Joby Aviation signed a definitive agreement with Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to launch air taxi services in 2026. RTA and Joby also partnered with Skyports for the construction of vertiports. Joby's piloted flight follows a previous successful test flight at its facility at the Dubai Jetman Helipad in Margham, along the Dubai–Al Ain Road, in June 2025. The aircraft completed several loops over the facility and surrounding desert. The US company operated the flight in airspace controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), between Marina (OAR) and Monterey (MRY) airports in California. 'Successfully flying from Marina to Monterey showcased operations of our aircraft integrated into the broader transportation network and further validated its performance to ensure we're prepared for service on day one,' said Didier Papadopoulos, president of aircraft development and manufacturing at Joby. 'For years, our flight testing has validated our aircraft's capabilities, and we've done this across a wide range of environmental conditions.' Joby recently began the final assembly of its first aircraft for Type Inspection Authorisation (TIA) flight testing – one of the last major steps in FAA certification. The company plans to begin flight testing with FAA pilots early next year. Following certification, Joby aims to launch commercial service in the US, starting in Los Angeles and New York City.
Khaleej Times
12-08-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
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.
