Midnight, an all-electric aircraft from Archer Aviation, is seen at the Salinas Municipal Airport in Salinas, California, on August 2, 2023.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
The Federal Aviation Administration has granted archer aviation a key certification that brings the electric air taxi maker closer to travelers who will eventually fly, the company said Wednesday.
Archer is making electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft, and has won orders and support in 2021 from united airlineswhich says the new technology could reduce carbon emissions.
Carriers have been investing in or ordering eVTOL aircraft, which take off and land vertically like helicopters and whose developers say they can reduce emissions in congested areas. United, for example, says passengers can take them to and from the airport in big cities, such as between Manhattan and United's hub in Newark, New Jersey.
“Today we received Part 135 certification, which allows us to effectively become an airline so we can carry passengers,” Archer CEO Adam Goldstein told CNBC.
The process took Archer about two years, submitting more than 2,000 pages of documents and 14 manuals outlining operating procedures, training and maintenance.
Now Archer has to get FAA certification for its four-passenger plane, called “Midnight,” which the company is currently working on, Goldstein said. The company estimates this could put air taxis into service next year. Goldstein said he couldn't give an exact timeline, but when asked about delays in certifying older plane variants, he noted that Archer's planes are much simpler and have far fewer components than commercial jets.
Archer's plane can fly up to 60 miles at a top speed of 150 mph.
United is working with Archer on what bringing the electric plane into service would look like.
“This is not something you do with the push of a button,” said Andrew Chang, managing director of United Airlines' risk division. “It is coinciding with the speed [Archer] we can advance in the operational aspect and how to fit it into our airport centers.
Archer has partnered with automaker stellantis to produce hundreds of electric air taxis.
Archer's rivals have also made progress. Joby Aviation received its Part 135 certificate two years ago, has a partnership with the US Air Force, and has earned orders and endorsements from Delta Airlines. On Tuesday, Joby said he plans to acquire the autonomy division of autonomous aviation company Xwing.
