Just a few months after receiving FAA certification to start eVTOL verification flights in the United States, Archer Aviation discovered its first foreign release spouse for all-electric air taxi facilities in the United Arab Emirates. Through a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding, Archer is working to put in place the mandatory infrastructure that will allow advertising installations on the wings (or rotors) of the Abu Dhabi incentives.
Archer Aviation ($ACHR) is a developer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that is lately more in a position than ever to finally get its “Midnight” aircraft off the ground since its unveiling in December 2022. .
In its first five years of existence, Archer Aviation has established ongoing relationships and investments with United Airlines and the U. S. Air Force. The U. S. Department of Defense, a partnership that recently won an eVTOL procurement contract from the U. S. Department of Defense, has been awarded an eVTOL procurement contract. U. S. Securities and Exchange Rates for up to $142 million.
Automotive conglomerate Stellantis is also a long-time investor and is committed to exclusively helping build Midnight eVTOL on U. S. soil at a new facility in Georgia. Last May, Archer began rolling prototypes of the Midnight eVTOL off its production lines.
With a special certificate of airworthiness from the Federal Aviation Administration already in place in the United States, Archer has traveled to new continents in hopes of launching full-service air taxi operations and appears to have discovered a suitor in the United Arab Emirates.
According to a press release from Archer Aviation, following a recent rite in Abu Dhabi, it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) together with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to publish announcements of air taxi operations in the UAE until 2026.
ADIO will offer incentives to Archer for the overseas launch, which will come with the structure of a second headquarters and an engineering center of excellence. Archer says it also plans to collaborate with local production and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) companies. suppliers in Abu Dhabi to lead the production of its eVTOL aircraft.
When advertising operations begin in the UAE, four-passenger air taxis piloted by Archer will make fast back-to-back flights, replacing 60- to 90-minute car rides with estimated 10- to 20-minute flights that will be sustainable and cost-competitive. . In addition to local spouses in the Middle East, Archer announces that it will bring in its current spouse Stellantis to help with the production and infrastructure of the eVTOL. According to CEO Carlos Tavares:
We are excited to work with Archer to begin building a high-volume production facility for the Midnight aircraft in the U. S. for the next two years. We hope this first production will serve as a model for Archer’s long-term production facilities as it expands its operations to serve new regions, starting with the Middle East, where we see great prospects for urban air mobility. “
Other local aviation developers attended the signing ceremony, including Falcon Aviation and GAL-AMMROC. As of this moment, Archer says he remains in talks with other industry participants and will announce memos in the future. According to Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein:
We are pleased to announce this joint collaboration to make the UAE our first overseas market outside of the United States. Archer plans to collaborate heavily with ADIO and the Department of Economic Development to bring the production and operations of our air taxis to the region. Together, we will be able to play a leading role in making all-electric air taxis a reality in the skies of the UAE and beyond for years to come.
With a Memorandum of Understanding already in place, Archer announces that it will showcase its eVTOLs used for air taxi travel in the UAE at the Dubai Airshow from November 13-17, followed by the Aviation and Alternative Fuels Conference (CAAF) hosted through ICAO. and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) the following week in Dubai.