Archer Aviation, which is working on air taxi operations, has indicated that the cost of air taxis will be on par with high-end ground ridesharing services such as Uber Black and Uber Comfort. Billy Nolen, Chief Safety Officer of the company, said that once the service reaches mass scale, the pricing will fall into the category of Uber X.
The potential time savings from using air taxis are significant, as they could reduce travel time from Abu Dhabi to Dubai to just 10-20 minutes, compared to the current journey time of up to two hours due to traffic.
Archer has raised over $1.1 billion in funding and has partnered with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to launch air taxi operations in Abu Dhabi in 2026. The company is also looking to start operations in the United States in 2025, initially in Chicago and New York.
During the Dubai Airshow, Archer announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with private heliport operator Air Chateau International, which plans to purchase up to 100 of Archer’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft. The company also plans to operate the aircraft in the region, with plans to make pre-delivery payments and finalize purchase agreements in the coming months.
Archer’s eVTOL aircraft, named ‘Midnight’, can fly up to 100 miles on a single charge and is expected to be used primarily for short flights of 10-20 minutes. The company is exploring infrastructure for charging the aircraft and has emphasized the importance of city planners envisioning and planning for the growth of this ecosystem.
While the company has not confirmed if there will be a mobile app for booking air taxi services, Nolen mentioned that the potential for app-based booking is limitless, especially given the airline partnerships that Archer has established. These partnerships include agreements with United Airlines and InterGlobe Enterprises, the parent company of IndiGo, the largest airline in India.
Archer is also working on obtaining the necessary certifications for commercial use from regulatory authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the U.S. and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in the UAE. Nolen emphasized the company’s focus on safety and the ongoing talks with regulatory authorities to finalize certification and operational frameworks for the air taxis.
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