(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) US-based electric flying carmaker Archer Aviation has received multi-hundred-million dollar investments from Abu Dhabi to manufacture air taxis in UAE and establish its international headquarters in the Emirates.
The investments are also aimed at constructing vertiports in critical locations throughout Abu Dhabi and accelerating Archer's launch of commercial air taxi operations in the UAE next year.
The financial injection from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (Adio) comes ahead of Archer's rollout of commercial air taxi in 2025, using its Midnight aircraft.
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The developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) machines will manufacture its Midnight aircraft in Abu Dhabi.
Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer, said they are in the advanced stages of the certification process from the US regulatory body and there is now a development of the operational side.“We are in the process of selecting locations and then going to start. There is already one vertiport in Abu Dhabi. We are using infrastructure very similar to helicopter use in addition to charging stations. It is going to start with a small network with 10 and then going to expand it over time. And then connecting different emirates in the next stage.”
Thousands of jobs
There will be thousands of jobs to be created across the ecosystem including manufacturing, maintenance repair, and staff around the vertiport.
He added that thousands will be scaled in Abu Dhabi alone over time by the Archer itself with hiring set to begin in the coming months.
He added that the goal is to open a manufacturing and assembling facility in Abu Dhabi as part of the SAVI cluster.
The fare for the air taxi will be in line with premium taxi services operated by Uber and Careem in the country.
Key components of Archer's collaboration with ADIO include vertiport construction, operational enablement for air taxi operations in the UAE, and in-country manufacturing of Archer's Midnight aircraft. Under the agreement, ADIO will also ensure local workforce development programmes for Emirati talent and facilitate the establishment of Archer's international headquarters and Centre of Excellence in Abu Dhabi.
“This substantial agreement with Abu Dhabi is a pivotal moment for Archer's commercialisation efforts across the Emirates, as it provides the catalyst to accelerate the launch of our electric air taxi service in the UAE as soon as late 2025. The agreement underscores Abu Dhabi's strong commitment to Archer and conviction to become a global hub for urban air mobility,” said Adam Goldstein.
“Abu Dhabi is leading the way in accelerating the launch of electric air taxis globally. We are excited to support Archer toward establishing its international headquarters in Abu Dhabi, and to develop a comprehensive investment framework that will accelerate its progress towards manufacturing and operating its Midnight aircraft in the UAE,” said Badr Al-Olama, director-general of Adio.
With the support of its early investor and UAE's sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, Archer's partner operators Falcon Aviation and Air Chateau, and GAL-Ammroc will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul support for Archer's eVTOL aircraft.
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