Flying air taxi producer Archer Aviation is on track to complete its manufacturing plant in Georgia before the end of this year.
ARCHER AVIATION AIR TAXI PRODUCTION PLANT
Archer exhibited its Midnight electric aerial vehicle (EAV) for government officials at Atlantic Aviation’s new terminal at DeKalb–Peachtree Municipal Airport, where it provided the construction update.
The 400,000-square-foot facility in Covington is indeed being built to handle production of 650 Archer Midnight flying vehicles.
“Once complete, we’ll focus on ramping production up to 650 aircraft a year — our goal is to be the first in the eVTOL industry to achieve scaled manufacturing.” Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of Archer.
ARCHER MIDNIGHT
The Archer Midnight can in fact carry four passengers, a pilot and carry-on luggage. It is intended for trips of 20 to 50 miles, with 10 minutes of battery charging time between flights.
Furthermore, it can travel up to 150 miles per hour and is designed for back-to-back flights.
As with other EAVs, the Archer Midnight is a low-altitude flying vehicle.
WORKING WITH STELLANTIS
Furthermore, Stellantis purchased 8 million worth of Archer’s stock following a significant investment of $110 million in Archer in 2023.
Stellantis is a leading global automaker with diverse brands and innovative technologies. It started investing in Archer in 2021, a year after it became a strategic partner to the flying taxi company.
Archer has thus been tapping into Stellantis’ supply chain and manufacturing assets. This helps it in the development of its eVTOLs.
“Thanks to the hard work of the Archer and Stellantis teams, we’re tracking towards completing this manufacturing facility by the end of the year,” Goldstein said.
ARCHER DEAL WITH SOUTHWEST AIRLINES
Archer Aviation recently signed a deal with Southwest Airlines to create an electric air taxi network in California using Archer’s Midnight eVTOL.
In fact, this deal includes partnering with Southwest’s employees and unions for operations to provide travellers with a door-to-door journey with the EAV involved in the first and last miles of a trip.
ALSO READ: Southwest Airlines: US airline takes over SAF production company
ARCHER AVIATION TO PROVIDE AIR TAXI SERVICES IN CALIFORNIA
According to iotworldtoday, the air taxis are set to operate in California, where Southwest operates from 14 airports across the state.
Archer announced it was planning to create an air mobility network connecting five locations across the San Francisco Bay area with takeoff and landing facilities in San Francisco, Napa, San Jose, Oakland and Livermore.
ARCHER AWARDED FAA APPROVAL
The company has also received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin operating EAVs commercially.
Moreover, it was the second air taxi maker to be certified by the FAA. The first was Joby Aviation, which received its FAA certificate in 2022.
