The company on Thursday announced it intends to launch a city center-to-airport network in Los Angeles by 2026, building on its plans to fly in New York City and Chicago. The service is meant to replace one-to-two-hour drives by car with more direct aerial routes while remaining cost competitive with ground-based rideshare options such as Uber and Lyft.

Archer in July also struck a deal with Southwest Airlines to connect Southwest terminals across California, where it is in the process of building a network of hubs linking South San Francisco, Napa, San Jose, Oakland, and Livermore.

The manufacturer’s flagship Midnight air taxi is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on back-to-back, 20-to-50 sm, 10-to-20-minute trips, with only a few minutes of charge time in between. The company hopes to obtain type certification from the FAA in time for a 2025 commercial rollout in New York and Chicago.

After that, it will set its sights on Los Angeles, where it intends to connect key locations such as Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX), Orange County, Santa Monica, Hollywood Burbank, Long Beach, Van Nuys, and the University of Southern California with vertiports. These takeoff and landing hubs are akin to heliports but will include electric aircraft chargers for Midnight and other electric aircraft to juice up.

Archer also has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with FBO network Signature Aviation to install electric chargers at more than 200 Signature terminals nationwide, adding to the number of potential takeoff and landing sites for Midnight.

Archer competitor Joby Aviation is also looking to fly in the Los Angeles area in partnership with Delta Air Lines and earlier this year began the process of installing eVTOL infrastructure in California. Boeing air taxi subsidiary Wisk Aero, eVTOL jet manufacturer Lilium, and eVTOL developer Overair are among firms with similar ambitions.

The companies hope to showcase their aircraft on the world stage when the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles arrive— an ambitious target but one that is in line with the FAA’s own expectations for the industry. The city will also host men’s soccer games during the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly held in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

“Establishing our LA network ahead of the global events that are coming to the region over the next three years is a milestone that will put Midnight on display for the whole world to see,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO of Archer. “LA is known for its horrendous traffic—our goal is to offer a safer, faster, and more sustainable alternative travel option.”

A handful of eVTOL manufacturers, including Germany’s Volocopter and China’s AutoFlight, are supposed to demonstrate their air taxis at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, but those flights have yet to take place and may not happen at all.

Aiding Archer, however, is a tight relationship with the FAA and the backing of California state officials such as Governor Gavin Newsom.

“Homegrown companies like Archer Aviation are pioneering the next generation of zero-emission transportation that will help California cut pollution, clean our air, and reduce traffic,” said Newsom.

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On Friday, Southwest and Archer Aviation, manufacturer of the Midnight electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop a network of routes connecting Southwest terminals at California airports.

The airline is the state’s largest air carrier and owns key hubs in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, and the San Francisco Bay Area, where Archer recently announced plans to construct eVOL infrastructure, such as takeoff and landing vertiports, at five airports.

Archer’s flagship aircraft, which takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies on fixed wings like an airplane, is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on 20 to 50 sm (17 to 43 nm) air taxi routes, cruising at up to 150 mph (130 knots).

As soon as next year, it will begin ferrying customers to and from airports at a price the manufacturer claims will be cost-competitive with ground-based rideshare services such as Uber or Lyft.

“Integrating Archer’s electric aircraft into the travel journey potentially gives us an innovative opportunity to enhance the experience of flying Southwest,” said Paul Cullen, vice president of real estate for the airline.

Cullen also left the door open for an expansion of Southwest’s air taxi service to locations in other states.

Added Dee Dee Meyers, senior adviser to California Governor Gavin Newson and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development: “This initiative is designed to help revolutionize clean transportation with zero-direct emission and affordable options, enhancing the passenger experience, and supporting California’s climate action goals.”

The agreement with Southwest builds on Archer’s existing relationship with United Airlines, which in 2021 agreed to purchase 100 Midnight air taxis for an estimated $1 billion. Under that agreement, Archer will develop a software platform, mobile booking platform, and vertiport integration technology for a commercial service operated by United.

Delta Air Lines, the third major U.S. carrier with plans to launch an air taxi network, is working with Archer competitor Joby Aviation.

In addition, Archer in June signed a deal with Signature Aviation that would give it access to more than 200 FBOs, including those at New York Liberty International Airport (KEWR), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (KORD), and other airports the company intends to serve. The manufacturer also has an agreement with FBO network operator Atlantic Aviation to electrify Atlantic terminals in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco.

“With Archer’s Midnight aircraft, passengers will be able to fly above traffic to get to the airport faster,” said Nikhil Goel, chief commercial officer of Archer. “Southwest customers could someday complete door-to-door trips like Santa Monica [California] to Napa in less than three hours.”

Archer and Southwest will begin by developing a concept of operations for Midnight out of Southwest terminals, partnering with airline employees and union groups such as the Southwest Airlines Pilot Association (SWAPA).

The companies “plan to collaborate over the next few years as eVTOLs take flight,” which does not commit them to a 2025 or 2026 launch. Archer, Joby, and other eVTOL manufacturers such as Beta Technologies and Overair intend to enter commercial service during that time frame.

Adding Southwest as a partner could be key for Archer when considering the activities of its competitor overseas.

Both firms plan to fly in the United Arab Emirates, including the cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In February, however, Joby signed what it describes as an exclusive six-year deal with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority, giving it the sole right to operate an air taxi service in the emirate. Archer CEO Adam Goldstein has disputed the exclusivity of the agreement, saying it will have no impact on the company’s plans.

That dynamic has not yet played out in the U.S.—both companies plan to fly in New York, for example. But if Joby intends to replicate the strategy of gaining an edge over competitors with exclusive deals, partnerships such as that with Southwest become more important.

Notably, the companies have also butt heads on eVTOL infrastructure. Each is pushing for a different electric aircraft charging system to become the industry standard, similar to how Elon Musk fought for Tesla’s North American Charging Standard to supplant the widely accepted Combined Charging Standard (CCS) for electric ground vehicles (a fight Tesla ultimately would win).

Similarly, Joby wants its Global Electric Aviation Charging System (GEACS) to replace a modified version of the CSS supported by Archer, Beta, and others, which could throw a wrench into their FBO electrification plans.

Among eVTOL manufacturers, Archer and Joby are the closest to being able to fly in the U.S. Each has achieved a full transition flight using a prototype air taxi and expects to begin the critical for-credit phase of FAA certification in the coming months.

In addition, both are qualified to perform eVTOL maintenance and repairs and are in the process of training an initial group of pilots to fly their respective aircraft.

The goal is for those activities to be complete in time for a 2025 launch. Whether Southwest will be a part of that occasion remains to be seen.

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Archer’s flagship design, Midnight, is built for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on 20 to 50 sm (17 to 43 nm) routes, cruising at 130 knots and charging for just a few minutes between trips. The manufacturer’s goal is to compete against ground-based ridehailing services such as Uber or Lyft with a comparably priced offering.

In the Bay Area, the company will work with real estate giant Kilroy Realty Corp. The partners signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to make the 50-acre Kilroy Oyster Point waterfront campus in South San Francisco the anchor of Archer’s planned network.

Archer and Kilroy will look to build a vertiport at Oyster Point, connecting it with routes to Napa, San Jose, Oakland, and Livermore.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Kilroy on developing infrastructure to support Archer’s air mobility service and laying the foundation for a robust network of landing sites throughout the Bay Area,” said Bryan Bernhard, chief growth and infrastructure officer for Archer.

The manufacturer says it already has relationships with infrastructure and operations providers in those cities. One of its two main FBO partners, Atlantic Aviation, has hubs in Napa and San Jose. The other, Signature Aviation—which earlier this week agreed to install Archer electric aircraft chargers at 200 of its locations—also has a site in San Jose and another in Oakland.

Interestingly, Livermore Municipal Airport (KLVK), that city’s sole airfield, has no scheduled airline service and is designated as a regional reliever airport. Five Rivers Aviation, which operates a full-service FBO at the airport, appears to be Archer’s partner there.

San Francisco International Airport (KSFO), meanwhile, is a hub for Archer partner and investor United Airlines. The companies plan to launch routes in Chicago and New York City, also hub airports, by 2025.

In addition to constructing a vertiport at Oyster Point, Archer and Kilroy intend to create what Archer dubs “Sea Portal”—a renewable energy-powered development that offers both eVTOL and electric ferry services for all companies at the waterfront hub. According to the manufacturer, the facility could come online by the end of next year. Looking ahead, the partners will explore expansions to other Kilroy sites.

“We believe that this innovative and sustainable service has the potential to provide exceptional convenience and optionality to current and future tenants at the project, further differentiating Kilroy Oyster Point within the South San Francisco market,” said Angela Aman, CEO of Kilroy.

Archer began building the first Midnight production prototypes, which it will use to complete type certification evaluations with the FAA, in February. The aircraft received its final airworthiness criteria from the FAA in May and completed its first transition from hover to forward flight the following month during a remotely piloted test.

In June, Archer became one of just two eVTOL manufacturers to earn FAA Part 135 air carrier permissions, the other being competitor Joby Aviation.

It expects to install electric charging stations at Atlantic FBO locations in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami by next year, followed by similar infrastructure at as many as 200 Signature FBOs. Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) in New Jersey, Chicago O’Hare (KORD) International Airport, and KSFO—the bases of operations for Archer’s New York, Chicago, and Bay Area services—are all part of Signature’s network.

The company also intends to add electric chargers to planned air taxi hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, which is shaping up to be its initial overseas launch market.

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Archer on Wednesday announced its subsidiary, Archer Air, received an FAA Part 135 air carrier and operator certificate, authorizing it to operate as a commercial airline as Midnight advances toward type certification. The manufacturer anticipates it will achieve that milestone next year. In the meantime, it plans on using its Part 135 approval to fly conventional aircraft “to refine its systems and procedures in advance of launching Midnight into service for airlines like United Airlines,” which in 2021 agreed to purchase $1 billion worth of Archer aircraft.

“Over my career, I’ve helped lead the buildout of JetBlue and Breeze Airways, and now that Archer has its Part 135 and 145 certificates from the FAA, I’m thrilled for our incredible team to commence operations on this innovative new air taxi service soon,” said Tom Anderson, chief operating officer of Archer Air.

The Part 135 certification process comprised five stages, Archer said. The manufacturer was required to submit operational manuals and procedures to the FAA, and company pilots demonstrated compliance with those materials under agency observation.

“This milestone reflects our team’s unwavering dedication to safety and operational excellence as we stand up one of the world’s first electric air taxi services for communities across the U.S. with a safe, sustainable and low noise transportation solution,” said Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer.

Archer’s flagship Midnight is a zero-emission model designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on 20 to 50 sm (17 to 43 nm) air taxi routes, cruising at up to 150 mph (130 knots). The air taxi is intended to be cost competitive with ground-based rideshare services such as Uber or Lyft, replacing lengthy commutes with 10-to-20-minute flights, while producing significantly less noise than a helicopter.

Archer is one of just two eVTOL air taxi manufacturers to receive Part 135 permissions from the FAA, the other being competitor Joby Aviation. Joby, which unlike Archer intends to operate its own aircraft in the U.S., obtained its authorization in 2022.

Archer will have a hand to play in United’s operation of Midnight, though.

The company is developing a proprietary operations software platform, mobile booking platform, and technology that will integrate with vertiports, all of which will be essential to a commercial service. Now, it can begin to refine those platforms using conventional aircraft.

With Wednesday’s announcement, Archer now holds Part 135 and Part 145 certification, the latter of which authorizes it to perform select maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services. But Midnight won’t be able to fly commercially until it achieves type certification, which would validate the aircraft’s design, and production certification, which will allow Archer to begin producing the type-certified model.

The manufacturer has already begun building three type-conforming Midnight air taxis to be used in crewed flight testing later this year. For-credit evaluations with the FAA will follow and represent one of the most critical steps in the type certification process.

The agency in May awarded Archer final airworthiness criteria for Midnight, which laid out the standards it will use to gauge the aircraft’s ability to integrate safely into the national airspace. Competitor Joby is the only other eVTOL manufacturer to reach that step with the regulator, obtaining its own criteria one month prior.

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The United Airlines partner and Kakao Mobility Corp.—a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate Kakao which runs Kakao T, a popular taxi-hailing service akin to Uber in the U.S.—signed an agreement that covers the latter’s planned purchase and operation of up to 50 aircraft as early as 2026, beginning in Seoul.

The manufacturer estimates the value of the potential sale, including predelivery payments it expects to receive next year, at about $250 million. Kakao Mobility last year signed a similar agreement with U.K. eVTOL manufacturer Vertical Aerospace.

The taxi-hailing company has also tapped Archer as its eVTOL partner for Korea’s K-UAM Grand Challenge: a multicity, public-private effort to demonstrate eVTOL operations, with an eye toward commercializing those services by 2025. Kakao Mobility will pay Archer a first installment of $7 million this year, followed by a second installment in January, to support the effort. The partners expect to complete a public demonstration later this year.

“We are committed to revolutionizing transportation with Archer’s eVTOL aircraft, ushering in a future of cleaner, faster, and more efficient travel between and within Korean cities,” said Nikhil Goel, chief commercial officer for Archer.

According to Korea’s transport ministry, commuters in the Seoul Capital Area—which, with a population of a quarter of a million people, is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and home to half the country’s population—typically spend about 90 minutes per day stuck in traffic.

Archer promises to replace those commutes with estimated 10- to 20-minute air taxi flights, charging for just a few minutes in between. The manufacturer’s five-seat eVTOL is designed for four passengers and a pilot, with a range of about 52 sm (45 nm) and cruise speed of 130 knots.

It claims the aircraft will be cost-competitive with ground-based rideshare services such as Uber, Lyft, and Kakao T, which according to Kakao Mobility has more than 30 million registered users, many of them Seoul.

“The vision is clear—reduce the hours lost in traffic and elevate everyday travel with an electric air taxi service that features Archer’s Midnight aircraft,” said Christopher SungWook Chang, senior vice president of Kakao Mobility.

However, the partners—and the South Korean government—have ambitions to introduce air taxi flights nationwide.

The country’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in 2021 unveiled the K-UAM Operation Concept 1.0: a blueprint, similar to the FAA’s Innovate28, to commercialize urban air mobility (UAM) services by 2025. Initial flights would be piloted and take place on predefined routes in cities such as Seoul and Incheon, with nationwide introduction of fully autonomous air taxi flights by 2035.

Before then, the government is conducting the K-UAM Grand Challenge to validate the technology.

Kakao Mobility and a consortium that includes electric vehicle charging service LG Uplus, vertiport developer GS Engineering & Construction (GS E&C), and now Archer will be one of three consortiums to participate in public demonstrations under the effort, which seeks to garner public support for UAM services.

One group, which includes flag carrier Korean Air, Hyundai Motor Co., and Korea Telecom, completed the initiative’s first UAM operations demonstration in April. Archer and Kakao Mobility have set a target for their first public demonstration later this year.

Archer through the consortium will also work with regulators to create standards around eVTOL certification and operation. With the help of LG Uplus and GS E&C, the partners plan to construct vertiports, air traffic management systems, and other infrastructure to build a UAM ecosystem in Korea.

Archer competitor Joby Aviation is also part of the K-UAM Grand Challenge and expects to begin demonstration flights this year. The manufacturer in September partnered with SK Telecom—which is supporting it with $100 million in funding—to join a consortium that includes Korea Airports Corporation and Hanwha Systems.

Germany’s Volocopter was the first manufacturer to complete a crewed public eVTOL demonstration in the country in 2021, while California-based Overair last year signed several agreements with Korean partners, including a potential direct sale. Embraer eVTOL subsidiary Eve Air Mobility is also in the mix, having signed an agreement with UAM service provider Moviation for the purchase of its urban air traffic management system.

Beyond South Korea, Archer is looking to introduce Midnight in India, the United Arab Emirates, and U.S. cities such as New York and Chicago.

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The FAA on Thursday issued final airworthiness criteria for the company’s Midnight Model M001, making the aircraft only the second eVTOL air taxi to achieve that regulatory milestone in the U.S. The approval lays out the standards the regulator will use to gauge the aircraft’s ability to integrate into U.S. airspace. Archer aims to launch Midnight air taxi routes in New York and Chicago in partnership with United Airlines as soon as next year.

The manufacturer’s unique, zero-emission aircraft is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on back-to-back, 10-to-20-minute flights. The air taxi takes off vertically like a helicopter but cruises at up to 150 mph (130 knots) using a combination of fixed wings and forward propellers. Its optimal range is 10 to 50 sm (8.7 to 43 nm), but it can fly as far as 100 sm (87 nm) on a single charge.

Midnight has a total of 12 propellers, six of which are “tilt props” that can be positioned vertically or horizontally to aid in takeoff, landing, or forward flight. Propulsion is generated by six proprietary lithium-ion battery packs, each powering a pair of electric engines. The result, Archer claims on its webpage, is flights that are “up to 100 times quieter than a helicopter.”

The air taxi uses fly-by-wire flight controls and will be certified in the powered-lift category, a relatively new classification that still requires final FAA regulations on pilot certification. Archer claims it will ultimately be cost competitive with ground-based rideshare services, such as Uber and Lyft, on trips to and from urban centers and airports.

The FAA in December 2022 issued Archer’s proposed airworthiness criteria, allowing stakeholders and members of the public to comment on the prospective certification requirements. Competitor Joby Aviation received its own proposed requirements one month prior and is the only other eVTOL manufacturer to obtain final airworthiness criteria from the regulator, issued in March.

Archer’s finalized criteria are scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Friday, where they will be visible to the public.

“Midnight is one giant step closer to taking passengers into the sky in the coming years in the U.S.,” said Billy Nolen, chief regulatory affairs officer at Archer and a former FAA administrator. “Thank you to the team at the FAA for their continued hard work in support of making the electrification of aviation a reality.”

The issuance of final airworthiness criteria allows Archer to proceed to for-credit flight testing with the regulator, a key step in the type certification process. For-credit testing will allow the FAA to gauge Midnight’s performance against the standards released Thursday, which could result in the aircraft being deemed safe to fly in U.S. skies.

Archer in February began building three type-conforming aircraft prototypes to be used in those evaluations. The manufacturer said Thursday that the first of those models will begin piloted flight testing later this year, followed by for-credit FAA testing.

“[Thursday’s] milestone adds significant momentum to Midnight’s certification program as we further ramp up our for-credit testing efforts with the FAA,” said Eric Wright, head of certification for Archer.

So far, only China’s EHang has managed to obtain type certification for an eVTOL air taxi from an aviation regulator, the country’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC). The manufacturer in December made the world’s first passenger-carrying eVTOL flight, completing a pair of commercial demonstrations in China.

German manufacturers Lilium and Volocopter also aim to launch commercial air taxi services in the next few years.

But Archer and Joby’s models are expected to be the first to take flight in the U.S., starting with major metro areas such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The companies have partnerships with major U.S. airlines, Archer with United and Joby with Delta Air Lines, though Joby intends to operate its own air taxi.

The manufacturers now have about a year and a half to meet their stated launch target of 2025. But the publication of final airworthiness criteria certainly gives them a lift.

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The company on Thursday announced the opening of a new Washington, D.C., office and added two new members to its policy, government, and regulatory affairs leadership team. The office, near the FAA and Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters, will include a display area where Archer will showcase Midnight, its flagship, four-passenger aircraft.

In addition, Billy Nolen, who stepped down as acting FAA administrator to join Archer as its chief safety officer in June, will transition into a role as chief regulatory affairs officer, where he will lead the company’s regulatory affairs team.

“This strategic move is part of our proactive approach to progressing through the regulatory process here in the U.S. as efficiently as possible so that we can help ensure our country continues to define the future of global aviation,” said Nolen. “Showcasing our leading eVTOL aircraft technologies to leaders in the nation’s capital will help bring to life our vision to transform cities by reducing traffic with safe, quiet electric air taxis.”

Archer’s eVTOL air taxi is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on 10- to 20-minute trips spanning 20 to 50 sm (17 to 43 nm), with as little as 10 to 12 minutes of charge time between them.

In February, the company began building the first of three Midnight aircraft it will use to perform for-credit testing with the FAA as it progresses toward type certification. It expects those evaluations to happen later this year.

Archer is working with U.S. regulators such as the FAA as well as United Airlines to launch service in several major U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as early as next year. To support that effort, the company brought on two new hires: Melissa McCaffrey as head of state and local government affairs and Lynda Tran as an advisor.

McCaffrey, a licensed pilot of 20 years, is the former director of policy and government affairs at Overair, another California-based eVTOL air taxi manufacturer. McCaffrey spent a decade with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), where she managed government affairs policy and advocacy.

Tran was formerly the senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and director of public engagement at the DOT. She will support Archer’s regulatory affairs in an advisory role.

Additionally, Archer said it will continue to work with Invariant, the largest woman-owned lobbying group in Washington, D.C., and JTR Strategies, which focuses on transportation policy lobbying, as it seeks to expand its influence in the nation’s capital.

Archer, alongside competitor Joby Aviation, already had one of the tightest government relationships in the eVTOL industry by virtue of its FAA certification program and the appointment of Nolen. By bringing on McCaffrey and Tran, it appears the manufacturer is looking to shore up that connection even further.

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Chinese manufacturer EHang, which obtained the watershed approval for its EH216-S air taxi in October, intends to expand operations to the United Arab Emirates through a long-term strategic collaboration with Wings Logistics Hub. The partners will work toward local certification and operations for several EH216 series models, and Wings plans to purchase up to 100 aircraft. Deliveries will begin in 2024, EHang said.

Wings is the passenger eVTOL and logistics technology subsidiary of Technology Holding Company (THC), the tech arm of investment management firm EIH Ethmar International Holding. Ethmar is chaired by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, one of the sons of Abu Dhabi ruler and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, better known as MbZ.

It appears Wings is a relatively new banner for Ethmar and THC, which does not yet list the brand as a subsidiary on its website. The company bills itself as a provider of smart logistics, advanced air mobility (AAM), and smart city solutions, including passenger eVTOL services, vertiports, and urban air mobility (UAM) corridors.

“Introducing electric aviation to the UAE is anticipated to alleviate congestion with zero emissions and, consequently, attract significant foreign direct investment and generate thousands of jobs in the region over the next decade,” said Mohamed Al Dhaheri, a Wings board member and the CEO of THC. “[We] remain steadfast in our commitment to advancing smart and autonomous vehicle technologies for passenger transportation, mobility, logistics, and smart city management in the UAE.”

As part of its expansion, EHang will join the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) Cluster, an urban hub centered in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City community. SAVI, which launched in October, aims to speed the development of new vehicles across air, land, and sea, and is backed by several Emirati royals. The initiative is led by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), for which Al Dhaheri briefly served as acting executive director.

Earlier this year, a pair of American eVTOL makers—Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation—also joined the SAVI Cluster. Archer plans to set up a new headquarters and engineering facility in the region with an eye toward a 2026 launch, while Joby intends to establish a significant footprint as well. In November, Archer announced the planned sale of 100 air taxis to Air Chateau International, an Emirati private heliport operator, for around $500 million.

In addition, EHang previously announced a partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Economic Development (ADDED) to build a manufacturing plant in the city. The project aims to produce new aircraft, establish a regional command-and-control center, and build infrastructure such as vertiports.

The World’s First Electric Air Taxi

EHang’s expansion news comes just a few months after its self-flying, two-passenger EH216-S achieved type certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), making it the first manufacturer in the world with such an approval. As things stand, it remains the only firm to reach that milestone.

“For the industry, the first type certificate for an eVTOL aircraft is a major step forward, as it shows that a player has met the expectations around safety, reliability, etc. that the regulator imposes to protect the public,” Robin Riedel, who co-leads McKinsey’s Center for Future Mobility, told FLYING in October.

EHang’s autonomous design is a rarity in the eVTOL air taxi space, with most players choosing to fly with an onboard pilot in the early going. Its EH216-S has a 22 sm (19 nm) range and 80 mph (70 knots) cruise speed, both of which are on the lower side compared to other eVTOL air taxi designs.

The manufacturer’s type certification comes with a few key operational limitations—such as restrictions on routing, scheduling, and flights without visual observers—which it said it will gradually lift over time. As it prepares for customer deliveries, which are expected to begin this year, the company is working to obtain production and airworthiness certificates.

EHang is also developing the heavy-lift EH216-L and the firefighting EH216-F, both of which it intends to certify and deploy in the UAE.

The Middle East has seemingly become an increasingly attractive market for eVTOL manufacturers, in part due to the willingness of leaders to invest in AAM projects and experiment with new technologies for planned smart cities.

In December, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub announced a partnership with vertiport firm VPorts to build a 9-acre AAM integrator center. The hub would support eVTOL flight testing and development and is expected to open next year.

Already, the project has received an initial $40 million investment, and it’s expected to generate nearly $7 billion in revenue for Abu Dhabi and Dubai over the next 25 years.

UAE leaders also published the country’s first national vertiport regulations, and VPorts plans to build the first facility at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport (OMRK) north of Dubai. The city’s crown prince in February approved plans to develop a nationwide vertiport network, working with the U.K.’s Skyports to develop widespread infrastructure by 2026. A concept for a facility at Dubai International Airport (OMDB) was unveiled in April.

In addition to Archer and Joby, another U.S. firm, Odys Aviation, hatched plans for service in the UAE in May. Embraer subsidiary Eve Air Mobility, based in Brazil, also intends to launch passenger eVTOL flights in Dubai by 2026. Eve has a preorder for 35 air taxis from Emirati operator Falcon Aviation, which is working with Archer.

EHang’s main competitor in China, AutoFlight, is also partnered with Falcon to bring its Prosperity eVTOL to the Middle East. Germany’s Lilium, meanwhile, picked up an order for 10 Pioneer Edition Jets from Dubai’s ArcosJet, which it announced as its exclusive dealer for private sales in the UAE, Israel, and Cyprus.

EHang is also targeting operations in Europe. In November, it announced plans to build a first-of-its-kind European UAM Center at Spain’s Lleida-Alguaire International Airport (LEDA). The center aims to prepare mainland Europe for UAM services by collecting data on early operations, which will be used to integrate eVTOL services with airport infrastructure, air traffic management systems, and other technologies.

Before flying in the Middle East or Europe, however, EHang will first need to wait for authorities to establish a process for mutual regulation of its CAAC approvals. Depending on the country and regulator, operational restrictions could be added or removed. But cementing the initial type certification should help EHang give authorities an idea of what early operations will entail.

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Among them are many of the same aircraft you’ve seen me highlight in this column each week, from drones, to electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) designs, to spacecraft that have been to the International Space Station and back.

Among the attendees are former presidents and prime ministers, current state legislators and members of Congress, representatives from the Department of Defense, and CEOs and executives of some of the most disruptive companies in the industry, from Google’s Wing (and partner Walmart) to Volocopter to SpaceX.

Below you’ll find a roundup of the biggest announcements made during the three-day event, including from cutting-edge companies such as Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Sikorsky, Zipline, UP.Labs…and the list goes on and on. Without further ado, here’s what has come out of the event as Day 2 comes to a close:

Jetson Aero got seed funding…from the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am in a move that would come as quite a surprise if you haven’t followed the artist’s evolution over the years. The longtime frontman has invested in many a tech company over the years—and even launched and acquired a few of his own.

Now, will.i.am will attempt to make history by training to fly Jetson’s Jetson One, the firm’s single-seat personal eVTOL aircraft. The artist and entrepreneur would be one of the first on the planet to fly such a vehicle. Read more here.

Joby Aviation put pilots in the cockpit for the first time, advancing to crewed flight testing of its preproduction prototype eVTOL air taxi. Among those considered major eVTOL air taxi players (Archer Aviation, Lilium, Wisk Aero, and Volocopter to name a few), only Volocopter reached that milestone before Joby.

The next step for the manufacturer is “for credit” flight testing with the FAA, using a full-scale production prototype. The hope is for that to take place next year in time for a 2025 commercial launch with Delta Air Lines, beginning with air taxi routes in New York and Los Angeles. For a deeper dive, check out FLYING’s story from earlier this week. Meanwhile…

Archer got the ball rolling with the Air Force after the department paid out $1 million to the eVTOL firm, the first installment of what is expected to be many as part of its freshly signed contracts with AFWERX Agility Prime, worth up to $142 million. The payout was exchanged for a mobile flight simulator, which is now on its way to the Air Force.

The Air Force will train pilots to fly Archer’s Midnight eVTOL using the sim, familiarizing them with the aircraft and providing the company with valuable feedback on the pilot experience. And at an unspecified date, the company is expected to deliver up to six Midnight models to an as yet unnamed air force base. Here’s a deeper dive on that news.

Boeing’s Wisk Aero launched a flight test campaign in Los Angeles, bringing its Gen 5 autonomous air taxi, also known as Cora, to the City of Angels. CEO Brian Yutko said the company is the first eVTOL manufacturer to fly at a commercial airport in Los Angeles. He added that Wisk expects to fly its newer Gen 6 prototype for the first time in 2024.

“We’re flying at a dense urban airport with real-world autonomous operations at work, for the third time within this past year,” Yutko told FLYING at UP.Summit. “This is a step forward not only for our aircraft testing program, but for developing organizational skill at operating autonomous aircraft in complex environments.”

Sikorsky and startup Rain are automating firefighting in a collaboration that saw Rain equip a Sikorsky optionally piloted Black Hawk with its Wildfire Mission Autonomy System, taking the pilot out of the equation. The system automates just about every step of the process, from identification to dispatching to precision targeting of the blazes. Sikorsky’s Matrix autonomy suite beamed commands to the uncrewed Black Hawk.

The partnership hopes to improve response times and lower costs for firefighting companies, which are contending with an unprecedented number of blazes. More on that here.

UP.Labs and Alaska Airlines launched an incubator, with hopes of fostering six startups over the next three years. UP.Labs, a branch of UP.Partners (the host of UP.Summit), will launch the partnership with the airline in 2024.

The project will be called the Airline Venture Lab, and it’ll explore ways to address the greatest areas of friction in aviation, for both Alaska Airlines and the industry at large. Potential use cases include operational efficiency, guest experience, and the business of travel.

Reliable Robotics and the Air Force made a trio of positive findings after completing a large aircraft automation study. The partners found that the airframe they examined (which wasn’t named) could handle system upgrades without impacting remote pilot abilities. 

They also discovered that large, remotely piloted military aircraft can match the efficiency and flexibility of commercial aircraft, without the need to build a new airframe. Finally, Reliable found that its Remotely Operated Aircraft System (ROAS) could achieve the same levels of reliability required by the FAA while flying on larger airframes.

Beta Technologies opened its first electric-aircraft assembly plant in Vermont, which the company said will one day churn out 300 aircraft per year. The facility will build both the company’s eVTOL and its eCTOL (conventional takeoff and landing), which was revealed earlier this year.

The site spans 188,500 square feet and is located on a 40-acre plot of land at Burlington International Airport (KBTV), which will allow it to double in size in the future. FLYING’s Jonathan Welsh has the scoop.

Wing Drone Delivery is now serving customers in the Dallas area through a partnership with Walmart, announced in August. The agreement unites the largest retailer in the world and one of the largest corporations on the planet (Wing parent Alphabet) to deliver a variety of food and convenience items in minutes, straight to customers’ doorsteps, front yards, and more.

I’ll have more on this news Friday when I take a trip to the Dallas suburb of Frisco, where a Walmart Supercenter has been equipped to make Wing drone deliveries.

Personal eVTOL manufacturer Opener rebranded to Pivotal and launched Helix, its first scalable production aircraft. I got the chance to see the firm’s preproduction design, BlackFly, in action during a showcase Thursday morning. The aircraft showed off transitions between three phases of flight: vertical lift, forward cruise, and thrust-borne hover.

Helix will carry over many of the features of BlackFly, but it’s expected to have a more robust propulsion system, greater comfort, and possibly a higher payload capacity. A handful of customers are already flying the eVTOL, making it one of the earliest entries on the market.

Oh, and here’s the company’s BlackFly in action:

Still with me? Here are a few more quick hitters:

Elroy Air now Has 1,000 orders in its backlog for the Chaparral, its heavy-duty cargo delivery drone.

Regent raised $60 Million and partnered with Japan Airlines to develop a system for operations in the country with its all-electric seaglider.

Zipline partnered with Mendocino Farms to deliver sandwiches, salads, and more using its P2 drone delivery system.

And finally, Verge Aero unveiled the X7 Drone, an upgraded design which the company will use to perform drone light shows.

Bonus! Here are a few more photos from my first two days in Dallas:

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Archer on Wednesday received the Air Force’s initial installment of nearly $1 million, the first of what is expected to be many payments under the agreement valued at up to $142 million. In return, Archer sent the Air Force a mobile flight simulator, specified as a deliverable under the contracts.

The transaction marks the beginning of Archer’s relationship with AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm, and its vertical lift division, Agility Prime, which also works with advanced air mobility (AAM) rivals Joby Aviation and Beta Technologies. 

The arrangement will eventually culminate in flight testing of Archer’s five-seater Midnight eVTOL with Air Force pilots on board. First, the company will deliver up to six of the aircraft to an unnamed Air Force Base. A time frame has not yet been specified, but the first contracted payment sets things in motion.

Archer hopes to begin ferrying up to four passengers at a time (plus a pilot) to and from airports in partnership with United Airlines in 2025. It will start with air taxi routes near O’Hare International Airport (KORD) in Chicago and between Downtown Manhattan and Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) in New Jersey.

“Archer’s eVTOL technology can help maintain the United States’ position as a global leader in aviation,” said Adam Goldstein, the company’s founder and CEO. “To see our historic contract with the U.S. Air Force move from signature to execution at a rapid pace is a reflection of the strong commitment that the U.S. Department of Defense has made to securing our country’s future by investing in transformational technology.”

Getting the Ball Rolling

Initially, Archer and the Air Force will use the mobile simulator to begin training pilots on Midnight’s flight capabilities. The partners will use it to assess the air taxi’s flight controls and familiarize Air Force personnel with the operational capabilities of Archer’s commercial platform. And down the line, there is potential for the military to develop a Midnight variant for its own use.

Archer will also deploy its mobile simulator to public and industry events to raise awareness of eVTOL designs and encourage more engagement with the novel tech. Other deliverables on the way to the Air Force include wind tunnel testing reports, as well as project specific certification plans (PSCPs) and subject specific certification plans (SSCPs) submitted to the FAA.

Once training in the simulator is complete, Archer will move to piloted flight testing, a milestone rival Joby announced it had reached Wednesday. But first, it will need to deliver the first Midnight aircraft to the Air Force. Joby hit that mark last month with the ahead-of-schedule delivery of its own air taxi to Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Billed as “a safer and quieter alternative to helicopters,” Midnight runs on a proprietary electric powertrain with six independent battery packs, creating a low-noise profile. It combines six rigid propellers for vertical lift with a half dozen tilt props that rotate toward the nose as it transitions to forward flight.

Archer believes the aircraft’s 1,000-pound target payload and 150 mph (130 knots) top speed—combined with its ability to take off vertically like a rotorcraft—could make it ideal for military rapid response, personnel transport, logistics support, or rescue operations. The firm also said Midnight will be more agile and cost-effective to transport, operate, and maintain in the field than the present aircraft deployed for these missions.

While the air taxi will have a maximum range of 100 sm (87 nm), Archer has optimized it for short hops with its planned commercial service in mind. Competing with on-demand rideshare firms, Midnight will primarily make back-to-back 20 sm (17 nm) flights, charging for about 12 minutes between trips. Archer asserts the model will make its air taxi business competitive with ground-based counterparts such as Uber and Lyft.

Where Archer Stands

Midnight’s lightweight carbon fiber composite airframe is developed by automaker Stellantis, which in January announced an exclusive mass production deal with the eVTOL manufacturer. Stellantis also boosted Archer with a $70 million acceleration investment, part of an August funding round.

In June, the partnership advanced from “concept phase” to “execution phase” as the companies ramped up construction on Archer’s high-volume manufacturing plant in Covington, Georgia. The facility at Covington Municipal Airport (KCVC) will initially span 350,000 square feet and produce up to 650 units per year, beginning in 2024. Eventually, though, the plant could more than triple in size and churn out as many as 2,000 aircraft annually.

Joby, however, may have it beat. Last month, it selected Dayton, Ohio—once home to the Wright brothers—as the site for its 200,000-square-foot scaled manufacturing plant. But the company said the 140-acre plot at Dayton International Airport (KDAY) could one day allow the facility to span 2 million square feet.

Short term, Joby’s manufacturing plant is expected to begin full-scale operations in 2025 and produce 500 air taxis per year. The company put down $500 million of its own money and could leverage up to $325 million in state and local incentives to support construction.

Archer and Joby, along with Boeing-owned Wisk Aero, are considered the leaders in the U.S. eVTOL air taxi space. Germany’s Lilium and Volocopter are also key players. All of them are awaiting type certification of their aircraft before they can launch commercial operations, but some are further along than others.

Joby appears to have a slight edge on Archer in terms of flight testing, but both are eyeing entry into service in 2025. Wisk, which plans to fly its air taxi autonomously from the jump, is looking a bit further out to 2028.

Lilium, also targeting a 2025 entry, has made the most progress of the firms when it comes to certification on both sides of the Atlantic. It’s the only eVTOL manufacturer with individual certification bases from both the FAA and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). However, Joby and Archer appear to be fully focused on the U.S. market before thinking about an international expansion.

While entry into service is not the be-all and end-all, Volocopter looks like the leader on that front. It flew its first crewed tests at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 2021, long before its rivals. It’s also done piloted tests in Germany, South Korea, and France, where it expects to launch commercially in Paris following AAM demos at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Notably, Volocopter just signed a deal with Houston-based helicopter operator Bristow Group to deliver two VoloCity eVTOLs to the U.S., with an option for 78 more. The partners are aiming to launch in the U.S. after Volocopter receives EASA type certification in 2024. Unlike Lilium, the company has a concurrent certification path with the FAA, which should allow it to receive approval to fly in the U.S. shortly after EASA gives its greenlight.

Volocopter could hamper Archer and other U.S. eVTOL manufacturers by gobbling up early market share, if it can stick to its timeline. Or, it could assist them by introducing the U.S. market to the novel technology, potentially increasing the base demand for AAM services when they do enter the market. Either way, expect Archer to leverage its relationship with the Air Force to gain the upper hand.

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