Flying Taxi Company Going Big in Abu Dhabi

A major flying taxi company has received the backing of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) in terms of funding in the hundreds of millions of dollars and the building of vertiports and charging infrastructure to support the flying vehicle service.

The agreement with eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) maker Archer Aviation was announced at the DriftX mobility event at the Yas Marina Circuit, a two-day, sold-out event featuring outdoor demonstrations of numerous flying vehicles and indoor exhibitions of pilotless and piloted vehicles of all types.

The joint agreement includes building vertiport and local manufacturing of the Archer Midnight electric aerial vehicle (EAV).

Archer’s international headquarters and Center of Excellence would be established in Abu Dhabi.

“This substantial agreement with Abu Dhabi is a pivotal moment for Archer’s commercialization efforts across the Emirates, as it provides the catalyst to accelerate the launch of our electric air taxi service in the UAE as soon as late 2025,” said Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein. “The agreement underscores Abu Dhabi’s strong commitment to Archer and conviction to become a global hub for urban air mobility.”

Automaker Stellantis recently purchased 8.3 million shares of Archer with plans to exclusively produce the Archer Midnight.

Related:Flying Taxi Company Sells Stellantis 8M More Shares

Archer last year raised $215 from Stellantis, Boeing, United Airlines and ARK Investment Management, with total funding at that time at $1.1 billion.

Archer’s goal is to replace 60- to 90-minute car trips with 10- to 20-minute flights. The Archer Midnight can carry four passengers and a pilot and is aimed at trips of 20 to 50 miles, with 10 minutes of battery charging time between flights.

Archer has already started construction of the first three of its flying taxi vehicles to be used for the federal approval process.

The EAV maker is set to begin the final assembly in the coming weeks and those piloted EAVs are aimed at flight testing and subsequent uses in “for credit” flight testing with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

For mass production of the EAVs, a high-volume manufacturing facility is being built in Georgia.

The facility is expected to ultimately be able to produce up to 650 flying vehicles a year.

Archer recently signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA for the testing of its battery cell and system design, with plans to share the results to aid the advanced air mobility (AAM) market.

The company recently signed a deal with Air Chateau International for the private aviation operator to purchase the EAV to be operated in the United Arab Emirates.

Related:Flying Car Startup Funding Tops $1B; Backed by Boeing, United Airlines

Archer and Air Chateau also plan to explore opportunities around infrastructure investment necessary for regional cities to prepare for operations.

Archer had previously outlined its intent to build an engineering center of excellence to support the growing advanced air mobility industry in the UAE and across the Middle East.

Archer is not alone in expanding its global operation.

EAV jet maker Lilium recently announced that ArcosJet DMCC is going to purchase 10 of its electric jets and become the exclusive dealer for its private jets in the region.

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