Archer Aviation has announced the completion of an in-country eVTOL flight test campaign which aimed to showcase the full eVTOL flight envelope of its Midnight aircraft – including vertical takeoff, transition, and wingbourne flight – all within the UAE’s local operating environment.
The campaign marks a milestone in the implementation of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) infrastructure; which is being developed under the supervision of the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC).
Archer has also now begun receiving payments under its definitive agreement with Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) related to its Launch Edition commercialisation programme, which aims to cement the city as the first region in the world to begun commercial operations with its Midnight aircraft.
The flight test campaign in Abu Dhabi aimed to demonstrate a number of key aspects of Midnight’s performance and reliability under UAE-specific operating and environmental conditions, supporting the company’s overall path toward operational readiness throughout the region.
Tests were conducted in close coordination with the UAE’s regulator, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Integrated Transport Centre and operational parter Abu Dhabi Aviation.
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 which looked to accelerate its regulatory pathway within the Emirates.
The completion of tests also aligns with Abu Dhabi’s recent announcement to develop an emirate-wide air taxi network of more than 10 vertiport sites.
Adam Goldstein, Archer’s Founder and CEO, said:“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.
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.
Archer has now set its sights on the next phase of its Launch Edition programme, which will receive support from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and the Integrated Transport Centre and see the company begin recruiting and training local pilots in partnership with Etihad Aviation Training, further advance certification with with the GCAA, conduct further flight tests and prepare for early-stage commercial operations within Abu Dhabi.
