Abu Dhabi has stepped up its efforts to be an early adopter of advanced air mobility (AAM) through a partnership announced this week with eVTOL aircraft developer Archer Aviation. Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on October 16, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) committed to making a substantial, but as-yet-undisclosed, investment in what would be Archer’s first international operation, through various incentives and capital expenditures over the next few years.

According to Archer, its four-passenger Midnight eVTOL air taxi services could start in Abu Dhabi in 2026, which is when the U.S. company intends to be ready to start deliveries after completing FAA type certification by the end of 2025. Archer also aims to launch services in neighboring Dubai as part of wider ambitions for the UAE.

Archer’s plans to develop a presence in the Gulf region could also include establishing its international headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The MoU also calls for the company to open manufacturing facilities in Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries cluster.

During the signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi with ADIO, which is the emirate’s inward investment agency, several other local companies were present and signed related MoUs with Archer. Aircraft charter and management group Falcon Aviation is expected to operate eVTOL air taxis in the UAE. The Global Aerospace Logistics and the Advance Military Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Center (GAL AMMROC) would provide technical support for the operation and could also be involved in manufacturing.

On October 16, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office signed a memorandum of understanding with Archer Aviation. (Image: Archer)

In June 2022, Abu Dhabi-based Falcon Aviation announced plans to operate eVTOL aircraft in partnership with Eve Air Mobility, starting with services from the Atlantis luxury resort in Dubai. Falcon, which operates a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, has also expressed interest in developing and operating vertiports.

Archer said it intends to develop an engineering center of excellence in the UAE to support the growth of AAM across the Middle East. The company’s investors include Abu Dhabi government-backed Mubadala Capital, as well as automotive group Stellantis, Boeing, and United Airlines.

At the Dubai Airshow to be held from November 13 to 17, Archer’s Midnight aircraft will make its public debut in the Middle East. Later next month, the all-electric vehicle will be on display at the Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels, which is to be hosted by the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in Dubai.

Officials from the GCAA recently visited Archer’s headquarters in California. “Our goal is to approve Archer’s air taxi to fly in the UAE as soon as it is certified by the FAA, and we are very excited to collaborate with them to bring electric air taxis to the country,” commented the air safety agency’s director general, Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi.

Archer's efforts to establish a partnership follow an earlier dialog with Europe's EASA air safety agency in June. At the time, the company indicated that it found EASA's approach to type certification to be counterproductive to getting AAM business models established.

Last week, Archer announced that it now has financing in place, and contractors lined up, to press ahead with construction of its main eVTOL aircraft manufacturing plant in Covington, Georgia.

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