Archer Aviation has completed a series of in-country test flights of its Midnight electric air taxi in the UAE, marking a shift from early demonstrations to more operational preparation in Abu Dhabi. The company flew Midnight through its full flight envelope—including vertical takeoff, the transition into forward flight, and sustained wingborne cruising—under local weather and terrain conditions. These tests were carried out with coordination from the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), and Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA), which is Archer’s regional operating partner.
The flights, conducted in desert environments and at Al Ain Airport, were designed to verify how Midnight performs in heat, sand, and other factors typical of UAE operations. Archer says the aircraft met expectations across all phases of testing. Alongside the flight campaign, the company has begun receiving payments tied to its Launch Edition agreement with Abu Dhabi Aviation, signaling commercial progress as the UAE continues building out its air mobility plans.
With the flight tests complete, attention now turns to pilot training, regulatory work, and operational ramp-up. Archer’s airline team is advancing pilot instruction through Etihad Aviation Training, while regulatory collaboration with the GCAA continues. The GCAA recently spent a week at Archer’s headquarters in San Jose to align on the certification pathway, an important step as the UAE shapes its airspace rules for drones and eVTOLs. Additional test operations with Abu Dhabi Aviation will support the transition from controlled demonstrations to more routine flight activity.
Infrastructure is evolving in parallel. Abu Dhabi plans to establish an air taxi network with more than ten vertiport sites across the emirate, overseen by the ITC. These hubs will handle takeoffs, landings, and charging, and they will determine the first operational routes. Initial corridors are expected to link high-density districts with airports and key destinations before expanding as traffic demand grows and regulations solidify.
Leadership on both sides highlighted what the test campaign means for the next phase. Archer CEO Adam Goldstein said Midnight performed as designed in challenging regional weather and that the Launch Edition framework is helping advance commercialization in the Emirates. ADA Group CEO Mahmood Al Hameli noted that the results align with Abu Dhabi’s push to accelerate eVTOL adoption through partnerships and a more supportive regulatory environment.
Together, the agencies and partners frame these flights as the moment the program begins to shift from concept to real operational groundwork. Archer’s next steps include local pilot recruitment, continued certification work with the GCAA, additional flight testing with ADA, and preparing for early commercial operations in Abu Dhabi—an effort the emirate aims to position as one of the first of its kind globally.
