DUBAI AIRSHOW 2023: Archer Aviation Announces MOU with Air Chateau International for “Planned Purchase” of up to 100 Midnight Aircraft Worth Close to USD500 Million
Archer have had a very successful week at the Dubai Airshow rounded off with news that the eVTOL company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Air Chateau International (ACI) for “a planned purchase” of close to 100 Midnight Aircraft, worth up to USD500 million, reports a press release.
ACI is one of the leading private aviation operators in the UAE. The company plans to own and operate Midnight aircraft in the region. The deal includes a pre-delivery payment of USD1 million by the end of this year, followed with USD4 million additional pre-delivery payments at a later date.
The release states, “Air Chateau was the first private heliport operator company in the UAE to have its heliport and lounge terminal at the land side of Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai Helipark and with multiple touch points across the UAE.”
It continues, “Air Chateau’s operations offer last mile services targeted at ultra-high net worth individuals, including connectivity between airports, cities and strategic points and key attractions.”
This deal further strengthens Archer’s plans to commence air taxi operations in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai in 2026. The parties also intend to explore opportunities to collaborate on bringing in the infrastructure investment necessary for these cities to be ready for these planned operations.
Adam Goldstein, Archer Founder and CEO, commented, “It was an honour hosting Air Chateau’s team at the Dubai Air Show 2023. They were able to touch, see and feel our aircraft as it headlined the show and recognise that our Midnight aircraft meets what the customer demands in the UAE market.”
Dr. Samir Mohamed, Chairman and Founder of Air Chateau, added, “Embarking on our journey into being an infrastructure provider two years ago for helicopters, today, we stand at the precipice of realising our vision for the future of urban air mobility with eVTOLs in Dubai and across the UAE. As we unveil this exciting chapter, we are privileged to share a collective vision. We are very grateful for having the opportunity to pave the way for the future of Air Mobility in Dubai with Archer.
Archer has also laid out its intent to build an engineering Centre of Excellence to support the growing advanced air mobility industry in the UAE and across the Middle East and to collaborate with local manufacturing companies and Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul providers in Abu Dhabi to spearhead the production of eVTOL aircraft.
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(Top image: Archer Aviation)