Archer Aviation is one of the leading eVTOL developer in the industry, and the company just announced the successful completion of an initial flight of its Midnight aircraft at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi, marking a key milestone for its planned commercial deployment in the UAE and the expansion of its operations in the Middle East region.
With the support of the Smart and Autonomous Systems Council, the flight was witnessed by senior leadership from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, the Integrated Transport Centre, Abu Dhabi Aviation and Abu Dhabi Airports, along with representatives from Archer’s regional partners.
Focused on evaluating the aircraft’s VTOL performance in UAE-specific conditions including temperature, humidity and dust exposure, the test flight allows Archer to validate readiness for commercial deployment.
Following this milestone, Archer will expand its flight-testing program for Midnight in the region, gathering additional data to support its certification and commercialization plans in both the UAE and other key markets.
The test flight supports Archer’s Launch Edition commercialization program with Abu Dhabi Aviation, which aims to establish air taxi services in Abu Dhabi. The announcement comes as Archer continues to advance its certification and commercialization efforts in the UAE and beyond, building on recent achievements including regulatory design approval for the UAE’s first hybrid heliport at Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal and ongoing partnerships with leading regional operators.
The Launch Edition program represents Archer’s approach to establishing commercial operations in key early adopter markets. Abu Dhabi’s role as Archer’s first Launch Edition market positions the emirate as a global leader in urban air mobility deployment, demonstrating Abu Dhabi’s commitment to innovative transport and sustainable mobility solutions.
