Archer Aviation has announced the successful completion of an in-country eVTOL flight test campaign, showcasing Midnight’s full eVTOL flight envelope – including vertical takeoff, transition, and wingborne flight – in the UAE’s local operating environment and over desert areas.
“The campaign marks a major step forward in the implementation of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vision, developed under the supervision of the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC),” said the company in a press release. “In connection with this progress, Archer has now begun receiving payments under its definitive agreement with Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) related to its Launch Edition program.
“This marks another key step in Archer’s expansion into the United Arab Emirates and is part of the company’s Launch Edition commercialization program, which aims to make Abu Dhabi the first region in the world to begin commercial operations with Midnight.”
Archer’s flight test campaign in Abu Dhabi successfully demonstrated key aspects of Midnight’s performance and reliability under UAE-specific operating and environmental conditions, supporting the company’s path toward operational readiness in the regio, said Archer. The tests were conducted in close coordination with the UAE’s regulator, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Integrated Transport Centre and Archer’s operations partner, Abu Dhabi Aviation.
“In addition to flight test progress, Archer and its UAE partners continue to build momentum across aircraft certification and preparation for pilot training and aircraft maintenance,” continued the company. “In October, Archer hosted the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) at its Headquarters in San Jose, CA for another week-long working session to continue to accelerate its regulatory pathway in the Emirates. Additionally, Archer’s airline team has continued its work alongside Etihad Aviation Training to mature its operational readiness by advancing pilot training. Archer’s commercial momentum also complements Abu Dhabi’s recent announcement to develop an emirate-wide air taxi network of over 10 vertiport sites, under the supervision and coordination of the Integrated Transport Centre.“
“We designed Midnight to be able to handle challenging weather environments like the UAE with its sand and heat, and it delivered the results we expected it to across all phases of flight,” said Adam Goldstein, Archer’s Founder and CEO. “Our ‘Launch Edition’ program has proven to be an effective framework to help accelerate Archer and our partners’ progress toward commercialization in Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE.”
“The successful completion of these initial flight tests highlights Abu Dhabi’s commitment to creating an innovation-friendly environment that will support efforts to successfully implement eVTOL aircraft into the UAE’s airspace,” said Mahmood Al Hameli, Group CEO of Abu Dhabi Aviation Group. “Our collaboration with Archer continues to demonstrate how partnerships between global innovators and local industry leaders, via Archer’s ‘Launch Edition’ program, can accelerate the arrival of this transformative new mode of transportation in the UAE and beyond.”
Archer will now move into the next phase of its “Launch Edition” program with support from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and the Integrated Transport Centre, working to recruit and train local pilots in partnership with Etihad Aviation Training, further advance certification work with the GCAA, conduct additional flight test operations with Abu Dhabi Aviation, and continue preparing for early-stage commercial operations in Abu Dhabi. This progress follows ADIO’s recent activation of Archer’s investment framework, which is a definitive agreement designed to accelerate Archer’s commercialization efforts in the UAE.
For more information
www.archer.com.