Abu Dhabi: Archer Signs Framework Agreement at DRIFTx Mobility Event “For Multi-Hundred-Million Dollars”
Archer Aviation announced today it has signed “a framework agreement” at the Abu Dhabi DRIFTx Mobility event “for multi-hundreds of million of dollars”, to accelerate its commercial air taxi operations across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), reports a press release. The agreement covers discussions, collaborations and general innovation.
Archer aims to launch its Urban Air Mobility (UAM) operations as soon as next year. Key components of the eVTOL company’s collaboration with The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) includes:-
: Vertiport construction.
: Operational enablement for air taxi operations in the UAE.
: In-country manufacturing of Archer’s Midnight aircraft.
Under the agreement, ADIO will also ensure local workforce development programs for Emirati talent and facilitate the establishment of Archer’s international HQ and Centre of Excellence in Abu Dhabi. This comprehensive agreement positions the city as one of the world’s leaders in promoting UAM.
Adam Goldstein, co-Founder and CEO of Archer, remarked, “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.”
He continued, “The agreement underscores Abu Dhabi’s strong commitment to Archer and its conviction to become a global hub for urban air mobility. With Abu Dhabi’s support, we are poised to continue leading the transformation of urban transportation in the Emirate and across the globe.”
Badr Al-Olama, Director General of ADIO, commented, “Abu Dhabi is leading the way in accelerating the launch of electric air taxis globally and we are excited to support Archer toward establishing its international headquarters.”
Badr Al-Olama
The partners first announced their Memorandum of Understanding at the 2023 launch of ADIO’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicles Industry (SAVI) cluster. The framework agreement announced at DRIFTx represents the culmination of six months of close collaboration between the two.
With the support of its early investor and UAE’s sovereign wealth fund, Mubadala, Archer’s partner operators, Falcon Aviation and Air Chateau, as well as GAL-AMMROC, have announced plans to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul support for Archer’s eVTOL Midnight.
The collaboration will continue to work with Archer’s partners to accelerate the company’s progress in the region.
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(Top image: Archer Aviation)
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