Archer Aviation

• 1. Introduction

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  On the 10th of June, 2021, Archer Aviation drew an audience to Los Angeles, California, where it unveiled Maker, its first full-size demonstrator aircraft. The machine was fully electric, built to take off and land without a runway. Archer had been founded less than three years earlier and had yet to fly a single test flight. The questions gathering around the company were ones every aviation startup eventually faces: could it earn regulatory approval, persuade major airlines to commit, and help build the ground infrastructure that urban air travel requires?

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• 2. The Founders

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  Adam Goldstein and Brett Adcock founded Archer Aviation on the 16th of October, 2018. Both are alumni of the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida. The company's early aircraft development was done in partnership with that engineering program. Marc Lore, a Walmart executive, also supported the launch. Archer funded a research lab on the University of Florida's campus in Gainesville, Florida, with money from Goldstein and Adcock.

  On the 20th of September, 2021, Archer became publicly traded under the stock ticker ACHR. Headquarters settled in San Jose, California. In 2022, Adcock departed from the leadership team and the board, leaving Goldstein as the sole CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors. The IPO gave Archer the capital to pursue airline deals, and the first of those commitments would arrive within the following year.

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• 3. Maker

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  Maker moved from Archer's headquarters to its flight test facility in November 2021 to begin initial test operations. The Federal Aviation Administration granted the aircraft its airworthiness certificate in December 2021. Maker completed its first flight that same month.

  Six tilt-propellers at the front of the aircraft, each carrying five blades, handled both forward flight and vertical takeoff and landing. Six aft propellers, each with two blades, were fixed in place and used for vertical flight only. Six independent battery packs supplied the aircraft's power.

  On the 29th of November, 2022, Archer announced that Maker had achieved full transition from vertical to horizontal flight. That milestone validated the flight control architecture and software that Archer had also designed into its next aircraft. The announcement came twelve days after Archer had introduced its planned production vehicle to the public at an event in Palo Alto, California.

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• 4. Midnight

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  Archer unveiled Midnight on the 17th of November, 2022, at an event in Palo Alto, California. Unlike Maker, which served as a technology demonstrator, Midnight was designed from the start for commercial passenger service. The aircraft carries four passengers plus a pilot and has a payload capacity of over 1,000 pounds.

  Midnight's design targets rapid consecutive trips rather than long-range travel. Each trip is expected to cover around 20 miles, linking airports to downtown city centers. The aircraft reaches up to 150 mph, equivalent to 240 kilometers per hour. Its maximum range is 100 miles, or 161 kilometers.

  Archer conducted over 400 test flights with Midnight in 2024. On the 12th of June, 2024, the aircraft completed its first transition flight. On the 5th of June, 2024, the FAA issued Archer a Part 135 Air Carrier and Operator Certificate. This certificate is a formal requirement for commercial flight operations. In February 2025, Archer received Part 141 certification from the FAA, enabling the company to open a pilot training academy. That certification set Archer on course to train the pilots who would eventually fly Midnight in commercial service.

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• 5. Airline and Industry Alliances

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  In August 2022, United Airlines paid Archer a $10 million deposit for 100 electric aircraft, part of an eventual order of 200. On the 10th of November, 2022, Archer and United announced the first planned electric air taxi route in the United States. The route would connect Newark Liberty International Airport to the Downtown Manhattan Heliport.

  In March 2023, the two companies announced a second planned route, connecting O'Hare International Airport to Vertiport Chicago on the city's near west side. Southwest Airlines established a separate agreement with Archer in July 2024 to develop operational concepts for air taxi networks.

  In January 2023, Stellantis, a multinational automobile manufacturer, agreed to invest up to $150 million in equity capital in Archer. The agreement designated Stellantis as Archer's exclusive contract manufacturer for mass production of its eVTOL aircraft. That arrangement gave Archer access to industrial manufacturing capacity without requiring the company to build its own factory.

  Miami, Florida and Los Angeles, California are Archer's planned launch cities for its ridesharing service. Archer is working with Urban Movement Labs and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to build the necessary infrastructure and service routes. The company is also working with the City of Miami on comparable plans. With domestic routes mapped and manufacturing secured, Archer was already extending its ambitions toward the Arabian Peninsula.

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• 6. Going Global

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  At the Paris Air Show in June 2025, Archer Aviation and Dubai-based Jetex signed an agreement to develop eVTOL facilities in the UAE. Archer CEO Adam Goldstein and Jetex Founder and CEO Adel Mardini signed the agreement at the Jetex Abu Dhabi private terminal. The partnership gives Archer access to Jetex's network of private terminals to support Midnight air taxi services across the region.

  In July 2025, Midnight conducted its first test flight outside the United States at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi. The flight evaluated the aircraft under local environmental conditions, including high heat, humidity, and dust. The Smart and Autonomous Systems Council supported the test, which was observed by senior officials from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority.

  In November 2025, Archer purchased Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Los Angeles for $126 million. In February 2026, the company announced plans to equip Midnight with Starlink satellite connectivity to maintain reliable communication between the aircraft and ground operations. For an aircraft maker that began in a university engineering program, owning an airport in Los Angeles County was a decisive shift. It placed Archer on ground it controlled, ready for Midnight's transition from test flights to scheduled service.

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