Archer and Falcon Aviation will jointly develop a vertiport network in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, offering thirty-minute flights between the two cities with Archer’s Midnight flying car by 2025.
Archer Aviation, a manufacturer of electric flying cars, announced this month that UAE-based services operator Falcon Aviation has been selected as their vertiport infrastructure partner for critical locations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This collaboration marks a significant step towards launching Archer’s Midnight flying car with Falcon Aviation in the UAE and across the MENA region as soon as 2025.
Under the MoU signed late 2023, Archer and Falcon Aviation says they will develop a state-of-the-art vertiport infrastructure at Falcon Heliport at Atlantis, the Palm in Dubai and the Marina Mall heliport in Abu Dhabi’s Corniche.
Currently, it can take up to two hours to travel between the two cities by car. Archer and Falcon Aviation plan to offer passenger service in Archer’s Midnight flying car between these two Falcon vertiports, which will operate almost entirely over water with scenic views of both cities and clock in at as little as thirty minutes from takeoff to landing.
Commenting on the partnership Archer CEO Adam Goldstein says their operations will be the first to service this route, which is infamous for being a congested commuter corridor during peak hours.
“Partnering with established operators such as Falcon Aviation, as well as the capital of the Emirates with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, has been key to quickly building our presence in the region. We look forward to paving the way for the introduction of our Midnight aircraft within MENA which will set the stage for the UAE to become a global leader in urban air mobility,” says Goldstein.
According to Goldstein, this venture is part of Archer’s strategic expansion, with the UAE set to be its first international market. This follows a significant preliminary deal announced by Archer last year with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office which promised economic incentives to help accelerate Archer’s growth in the region as part of Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry Cluster.
According to Falcon Aviation CEO Captain Ramandeep Oberoi, for nearly two decades, Falcon Aviation has been at the forefront of helicopter passenger transport in the UAE and says this is a natural evolution of their service offering.
Earlier this month, Falcon Aviation also inaugurated its newly renovated Heliport Terminal at Atlantis, the Palm.
“Our partnership with Archer is a leap into the future, as we prepare to offer flying car services together in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, continuing our tradition of world-class transportation solutions,” says Oberoi.
Archer Chief Commercial Officer Nikhil Goel, claims they will transform urban travel, replacing 60–90-minute car commutes with estimated 10-30 minutes electric air taxi flights.
“Our flights are safe, sustainable, low noise, and cost-competitive with ground transportation. Archer’s Midnight is a piloted, four-passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights,” says Goel.
Notes from the Editor: California-based Archer is designing and developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for use in urban air mobility networks. Archer’s mission is to unlock the skies, freeing everyone to reimagine how they move and spend time. Falcon Aviation was established in 2006 under the initiative of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and is located at Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen Executive Airport and Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport.
