Archer Aviation Achieves FAA Certification: A New Era for eVTOL Air Taxis

June 5, 2024 | Archer Aviation Receives FAA Certification to Begin Operating Commercial Airline

In a groundbreaking development, Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE:ACHR), a leader in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, has announced that its subsidiary, Archer Air, has received the Part 135 Air Carrier & Operator Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This certification marks a significant milestone, allowing Archer to begin commercial operations and refine its systems and procedures in preparation for the launch of its Midnight aircraft.

Key Milestones and Achievements

Archer is now one of only two air taxi manufacturers globally to have received the Part 135 certification from the FAA. This achievement underscores Archer’s commitment to safety and operational excellence, as it prepares to introduce one of the world’s first electric air taxi services.

Operational Strategy and Future Plans

Archer plans to utilize conventional aircraft initially to fine-tune its operational systems and procedures. This strategic approach will ensure a seamless transition when the Midnight aircraft receives its Type Certification. Archer’s innovative mobile booking application, vertiport technology integrations, and proprietary operations software platform, all currently under development, are set to deliver exceptional passenger experiences.

Statements from Industry Leaders

Adam Goldstein, Founder and CEO of Archer, expressed his pride in the team’s dedication: “We are honored to receive the Part 135 Air Carrier & Operator Certificate from the FAA, which is another important stepping stone on the way to commencing commercial air taxi operations with our Midnight aircraft. This milestone reflects our team’s unwavering dedication to safety and operational excellence as we stand up one of the world’s first electric air taxi services for communities across the U.S. with a safe, sustainable, and low noise transportation solution”.

Mike Leskinen, United Airlines’ Chief Financial Officer, also praised Archer’s progress: “The pace of progress and innovation that Archer has achieved over the last few years is nothing short of impressive and today marks another key milestone in their journey to bring safe, sustainable, and low noise air taxi services to market. United Airlines extends our congratulations to Archer’s team on receiving their Part 135 Air Carrier & Operator Certificate. Together, we look forward to shaping the future of air transportation and delivering unparalleled flying experiences to United passengers”.

Looking Ahead

With the Part 135 certification in hand, Archer is well-positioned to revolutionize urban air mobility. The company has also received its Part 145 certificate, allowing it to perform specialized aircraft repair services¹. These certifications are crucial as Archer prepares to launch its Midnight aircraft, which recently received its final airworthiness criteria from the FAA.

Archer’s journey to this point has involved rigorous testing and adherence to stringent safety standards. The completion of the Part 135 certification process required extensive documentation and demonstration of operational proficiency under FAA observation. This meticulous approach ensures that Archer is ready to deliver a safe, efficient, and sustainable air taxi service.

More about the Midnight Aircraft.

The Midnight aircraft is Archer Aviation’s flagship electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, designed to revolutionize urban air mobility. Here are some key features and details about Midnight:

Design and Capabilities

• Passenger Capacity: This baby, Midnight, can fit four people chilling comfortably, plus the pilot who’s in charge of the fun.
• Payload: It’s like a flying pickup truck, man! It can handle over 1,000 pounds of stuff.
• Range and Speed: Midnight is all about those quick hops. It’s perfect for zipping around 20 miles, but don’t worry, it can go up to 60 miles (about 96 km) if you need to get a bit further, and it’s fast too, reaching speeds of 150 mph (241 km/h) like it’s nobody’s business.
• Charging Time: The best part? You can juice it up super quick. Just 10 minutes and you’re ready for another ride. It’s like a coffee break for your aircraft, but instead of coffee, it’s electric love!

Safety and Sustainability

• Safety: Midnight is like a superhero chopper, right? It’s got this cool thing called high redundancy and propulsion systems that are easier to handle, which means it’s a whole lot safer than your usual heli ride. If one part goes kaput, no biggie, it’ll still get you to your destination without a hitch.
• Sustainability: Now, this bird is electric! So it’s like a whisper in the sky, not bothering anyone with loud noises, and it’s giving Mother Nature a high five because it doesn’t puff out those nasty emissions. It’s like the eco-friendly ride for when you’re zipping around the city.

Technological Innovations

• Proprietary Technologies: Midnight’s got Archer’s fancy twelve-tilt-six setup and a super-cool electric engine thingamajig that makes it all its own.
• Operational Efficiency: This baby is made to zip around the city without breaking a sweat, handling quick hops one after the other like it’s nobody’s business for those urban sky-high commutes.

Certification and Future Plans

• FAA Certification: Archer’s aiming to get Midnight all stamped and approved by the FAA by around the end of 2024. The cool part is, it’s already got the final thumbs-up on being safe to fly.
• Commercial Launch: Archer’s shooting for launching Midnight into the whole urban flying car thing in 2025. It’s gonna be a big deal, for sure!

Vision and Impact

Archer aims to provide a faster, sustainable, and affordable urban transportation option with Midnight. The aircraft’s innovative design and operational capabilities are set to transform how people travel within cities, offering a safe, quiet, and eco-friendly alternative to traditional ground transportation.

Comparison with other eVTOLs

Let’s compare Archer’s Midnight eVTOL with some other prominent eVTOL aircraft in the market:

Archer Midnight

• Passenger Capacity: This bad boy can fit 4 people, including a pilot buddy to steer the ship.
• Range: It’ll zip you around up to 60 miles, which is like saying you could almost fly from one end of Paris to the other without breaking a sweat, or you know, actually touching down.
• Speed: It can go up to 150 mph, so you’re looking at zipping through the skies faster than a cheetah on a racetrack.
• Charging Time: You’ll only need about 10 minutes to juice it up between hops, so it’s quicker than grabbing a coffee on a road trip.
• Design: Imagine it’s got 12 rotors playing a game of Twister together in a six-by-two pattern. That’s this thing’s MO, keeping it stable and looking cool.
• Safety: No single point of “Oh no, we’re all gonna die!” here. It’s got high redundancy, so it’s like having a bunch of backup plans for your backup plan.
• When Can I Get It?: The boffins say it should be good to go with the FAA’s stamp of approval by the end of 2024. After that, we’re talking about flying Uber style in 2025. Can’t wait to see those things buzzing around the city!

Joby Aviation eVTOL

• Passenger Capacity: This bad boy can fit 4 of your buddies + the pilot who’s gonna fly you around.
• Range: You can go up to 150 miles (about how far it is from L.A. to Vegas) on a single trip.
• Speed: Zoom around at a cool 200 mph (faster than a cheetah, but not quite a commercial jet).
• Design: It’s got six little propellers spinning on top and four batteries chillin’ in the wings.
• Safety: They’ve made sure it’s super reliable and won’t annoy your neighbors with too much noise.
• Launch Timeline: They’re shooting for the stars, or at least FAA approval, with hopes to start giving rides by 2025.

Lilium Jet

• Passenger Capacity: This bad boy can fit up to 6 of your friends or fam members inside!
• Range: You can zip around for about 155 miles (or 250 km if you’re into that metric stuff) without needing a pit stop.
• Speed: It goes super fast, up to 186 mph (which is like 300 km/h, for those who think in kilometers)!
• Design: It’s got these 36 electric jet engines all lined up on its wings like it’s showing off at an air show. So cool!
• Safety: They’ve really focused on making sure this thing is safe. Like, it’s built with extra stuff to make sure nothing goes wrong, just like having a spare tire in your car.
• Launch Timeline: They’re aiming to get it ready for the skies by the end of 2025. So, not too long to wait before you can take this baby for a ride!

Volocopter VoloCity

• Passenger Capacity: It can hold 2 peeps comfortably.
• Range: This bad boy can zoom around for up to 22 miles (about 35 km) before it needs to refuel.
• Speed: It can go as fast as 68 mph (which is like 110 km/h for those who don’t do miles).
• Design: So, it’s got 18 spinny things (rotors) that help it fly and go vroom!
• Safety: They really care about keeping you safe with lots of backup parts, so even if some don’t work, you’re still good to go.
• Launch Timeline: They’re aiming to start giving rides in Paris around 2024, so keep your calendars open!

Comparison Summary

• Range and Speed: Joby Aviation’s eVTOL leads in range and speed, making it suitable for longer trips. Archer’s Midnight and Lilium Jet offer competitive ranges and speeds, with Midnight focusing on shorter, frequent trips.
• Passenger Capacity: Lilium Jet has the highest passenger capacity, accommodating six passengers. Archer Midnight and Joby Aviation eVTOLs both carry four passengers, while Volocopter VoloCity is designed for two.
• Design and Safety: All models emphasize safety with high redundancy. Midnight’s twelve-tilt-six configuration and Joby’s six-propeller design are notable for their innovative approaches to propulsion and safety.
• Launch Timeline: Volocopter aims to be the earliest to market, with plans for 2024. Archer, Joby, and Lilium are targeting 2025 for their commercial launches.

Each of these eVTOLs brings unique strengths to the table, catering to different aspects of urban air mobility. Archer’s Midnight stands out for its rapid charging and focus on frequent, short-distance trips, making it a strong contender in the emerging eVTOL market.

Partnerships Archer Aviation has for its eVTOL Services.

Archer Aviation has established several strategic partnerships to advance its eVTOL services. Here are some of the key collaborations:

United Airlines

Archer has teamed up with United Airlines in a pretty big deal, throwing down a cool $1 billion for their eVTOL aircraft. They’re working together to make sure Archer’s flying cars can hop into United’s travel options, giving folks a super convenient and futuristic way to get around.

Stellantis

Archer has buddied up with Stellantis, a big-deal car maker, to tap into their know-how when it comes to putting stuff together and handling all the bits and bobs needed to make their fancy flying cars. This deal is a huge deal because it’ll help Archer crank out their eVTOLs in a way that’s not just good, but also won’t break the bank. Basically, they’re joining forces to make these sky-cruisers something everyone can buy without having to sell their house.

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)

Archer has teamed up even more closely with the folks at the U.S. Air Force through something called the AFWERX Agility Prime program. They’re getting into some serious business with contracts that could total up to a whopping $142 million bucks. What’s the deal, you ask? Well, it’s all about them giving the Air Force up to six of their fancy Midnight aircraft. These birds are like nothing you’ve seen before – they take off and land like a helicopter but fly like a plane, thanks to some nifty eVTOL tech.

The whole point of this buddy-buddy partnership is to figure out if these electric flying cars could be the next big thing for the military. You know, for stuff like moving people around, helping with supplies, and even playing the hero in rescue missions. So, they’re going to play around with the tech, see how it performs, and decide if it’s a good fit for the Air Force’s needs. Pretty cool, huh?

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA)

Archer has teamed up with FCA, which is now part of this big deal called Stellantis. They’re doing this to get their hands on FCA’s sweet, cost-effective supply chain, their fancy know-how with composite materials, and some top-notch engineering smarts. This buddy-buddy situation is basically like putting Archer on the fast track to becoming the cool kid on the block in the world of eco-friendly flying cars.

Atlas Crest Investment Corp

Archer entered this cool deal with Atlas Crest Investment Corp, and it’s like a big thumbs up for them because the company is now valued at a whopping $3.8 billion! This buddy-up move gave Archer a huge pile of cash to keep playing with their fancy flying cars, or eVTOL tech, as they like to call it. Now they can really go full throttle on making these bad boys fly and get ’em out to the masses.

These partnerships highlight Archer’s strategic approach to leveraging expertise from various industries to bring its innovative eVTOL services to market.

International Partnerships of Archer Aviation

Archer Aviation has established several key international partnerships to expand its eVTOL services globally. Here are some notable collaborations:

Air Chateau International (UAE)

In November of ’23, Archer teamed up with Air Chateau International, which is like the big cheese in the UAE’s private flying scene. They’re talking about buying up to 100 of Archer’s fancy Midnight aircraft, which comes with a price tag of around $500 million. The goal is to get these air taxis running in Abu Dhabi and Dubai by 2026. Air Chateau is gonna use all their fancy air stuff and know-how to help Archer make this happen in that part of the world.

KakaoMobility (South Korea)

Archer has teamed up with KakaoMobility, which is like the big cheese of mobility services in South Korea. They’re planning on buying up to 50 of Archer’s Midnight aircraft, and if you’re wondering how much that costs, let’s just say it’s a cool $250 million. Now, these aren’t just any old planes; they’re working together on a pretty neat deal. KakaoMobility and their buddies from LG UPlus Corp. and GS E&C are gearing up for some public flight shows as part of a big event called the K-UAM Grand Challenge over there in Korea. The main aim is to get these fancy eVTOLs (that’s electric vertical takeoff and landing, if you’re not in the loop) up and running for everyone to use like taxis in the sky by 2026. And here’s the kicker, they want to serve air taxi rides to all 30 million of KakaoMobility’s users. Can you imagine hopping in a sky taxi to avoid traffic? That’s the future they’re shooting for!

Strategic Goals and Impact

These international partnerships are crucial for Archer Aviation global expansion strategy. By collaborating with established local operators, Archer can leverage their expertise and infrastructure to ensure successful deployment and operation of its eVTOL services. These partnerships also help Archer navigate regulatory environments and build public support for urban air mobility.

Conclusion: Archer Aviation FAA Certification

Archer Aviation’s receipt of the Part 135 Air Carrier & Operator Certificate is a testament to the company’s innovation and commitment to transforming urban air mobility. As Archer continues to develop its eVTOL technology and operational capabilities, the future of air transportation looks promising, with safer, quieter, and more sustainable options on the horizon.

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