The United Arab Emirates (UAE) General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has transitioned Archer’s Midnight aircraft into a Restricted Type Certificate (RTC) programme, advancing the regulatory path for the aircraft’s entry into service in the UAE, according to Archer.
“Archer is the first eVTOL manufacturer to transition to an RTC certification track with the GCAA, utilizing an airworthiness pathway aligned with international aviation frameworks,” said the company in a press release. “The RTC program provides an established pathway for Archer to begin limited commercial operations. It also ensures that Midnight is developed under a regulatory baseline that supports long-term commercial viability within the UAE. This milestone follows several years of technical collaboration between the GCAA and Archer, including multiple on-site inspections by experts at Archer’s headquarters and flight test facilities in the U.S., as well as in-country flights with Midnight. It was supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) as part of its commitment to establishing Abu Dhabi as a global leader in the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) cluster.
A cornerstone of this advanced regulatory phase is initiating a GCAA Design Organization Approval (DOA) and Production Organization Approval (POA). These designations signify a high degree of trust in Archer’s engineering and safety management systems, said the company.
“The GCAA is committed to safely integrating innovative aviation technologies into the UAE airspace,” said Eng. Aqeel Al Zarooni, Assistant Director General, Aviation Safety Affairs Sector at GCAA. Through this programme, Archer and the GCAA have made progress across eight workstreams critical to commercial readiness, including aircraft certification, operations, maintenance, flight crew training, airspace, vertiports, security, and oversight, said Archer.
Midnight is planned to enter service in Abu Dhabi with Abu Dhabi Aviation, Archer’s local operating partner and one of the region’s leading aviation companies.
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