Archer Aviation has successfully completed an in-country eVTOL flight test campaign for its Midnight aircraft in the UAE’s local operating environment and over desert areas.
The campaign demonstrated the full eVTOL flight envelope of the Midnight aircraft, including vertical takeoff, transition, and wingborne flight. This achievement marks a significant advancement in implementing Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vision, which is overseen by the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC). Following this progress, Archer has started receiving payments under its definitive agreement with Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) related to its Launch Edition program.
The successful flight tests were conducted in close coordination with the UAE’s regulator, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the Integrated Transport Centre, and Archer’s operations partner, Abu Dhabi Aviation. The tests highlighted 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 region.
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.”
This testing is part of Archer’s Launch Edition commercialization program, which aims for Abu Dhabi to become the first region globally to begin commercial operations with the Midnight aircraft.
Mahmood Al Hameli, Group CEO of Abu Dhabi Aviation Group, added, “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.” He also noted, “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.”
Momentum is also building in other areas: Archer hosted the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) at its Headquarters in San Jose, CA, in October for a week-long working session to accelerate its regulatory pathway in the Emirates. Additionally, Archer’s airline team is working with Etihad Aviation Training to mature its operational readiness by advancing pilot training.
The commercial progress coincides with Abu Dhabi’s announcement to develop an emirate-wide air taxi network featuring over 10 vertiport sites, coordinated by the Integrated Transport Centre. With this phase of testing complete, Archer will move into the next phase of its Launch Edition program with support from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and the Integrated Transport Centre. Future work includes recruiting and training local pilots with Etihad Aviation Training, further advancing certification with the GCAA, conducting additional flight test operations with Abu Dhabi Aviation, and continuing preparations for early-stage commercial operations in Abu Dhabi.
This next phase follows the recent activation of Archer’s investment framework with ADIO, which is a definitive agreement designed to accelerate Archer’s commercialization efforts in the UAE.
