Flying Taxi Company Signs Deal to Train Pilots for UAE Operations

Flying taxi company Archer Aviation is partnering with Etihad Training to recruit and train pilots to fly its Midnight electric aerial vehicles (EAV) in Abu Dhabi and across the United Arab Emirates.

The agreement was announced at the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Archer is featuring Midnight for the first time in Saudi Arabia, following a recent showcasing of the EAV at the DriftX mobility expo in Abu Dhabi.

Archer is in the process of establishing urban aircraft mobility (UAM) operations across the UAE with the help of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, Falcon Aviation and Air Chateau.

“Training a fleet of pilots to operate our aircraft is a critically important part of our efforts to establish a thriving urban air mobility network in Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE, and Etihad Training is the premier organization to partner with on this front,” said Archer chief commercial officer Nikhil Goel. “As Etihad Training’s first eVTOL partner, we will commence a thoughtful recruiting process and begin to train the first class of qualified pilots to operate Archer’s Midnight aircraft for commercial operations within the region.”

Etihad Aviation Training trains pilots for numerous global airlines and plans to work with Archer to recruit and train pilots for the Archer eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle.

Related:Flying Taxi Company Going Big in Abu Dhabi

Archer plans to provide a Midnight flight simulator for the Etihad training center in Abu Dhabi.

Earlier this year, Archer and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office agreed to accelerate commercial air taxi operations in the UAE, scheduled to start next year.

The EAV company has received the backing of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office in terms of funding in the hundreds of millions of dollars and the building of vertiports and charging infrastructure to support the flying taxi service.

That agreement was announced at the DriftX mobility event at the Yas Marina Circuit, a 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 Midnight.

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

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

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

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

Archer’s goal is to replace 60- to 90-minute car trips with 10- to 20-minute flights. The 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 and those piloted eVTOLs 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 ultimately to 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 also has signed a deal with Air Chateau International for the private aviation operator to purchase the EAV to be operated in the UAE.

Archer intends to build an engineering center of excellence to support the growing advanced air mobility industry in the UAE and across the Middle East.

Related:Flying Taxi Company Teams With NASA for Batteries

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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