Archer’s passenger timeline at risk pending UAE certification

Archer Aviation Inc’s battery powered air taxis aren’t likely be certified by year-end, according to people familiar with the matter, meaning passenger flights won’t occur before the start of 2026.Regulators in the United Arab Emirates originally expected authorisation this year, several people familiar with the process said. The review is taking longer than first expected, they said, without specifying a reason.Archer and its partners in Abu Dhabi currently plan to start flying passengers next year, one person said. That marks a change from as recently as February, when the Palo Alto, California-based company said it targeted its first passenger flight "later this year.”The ambitious timelines of Archer and its competitors are closely watched by investors, given the billions of dollars at stake and the challenges involved in bringing a new type of aircraft to market.Archer’s publicly stated timeline seems to have shifted. The company said on February 27 that it targeted the first passenger flight of its battery powered Midnight aircraft in Abu Dhabi by later this year. On its website, the same release now omits any reference to that 2025 goal, although the rest of the announcement is the same.Since that February release, the company has said on several occasions that it plans to launch in the UAE this year. Archer’s internal definition of a commercial launch includes milestones such as pilot training, converting of existing infrastructure and the signing of partnerships, according to a person familiar with Archer’s processes. It does not necessarily mean having airworthy aircraft, the person said.The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority did not respond to requests for comment. Archer said in response to queries that its goal is to "launch air taxi services in Abu Dhabi as soon as possible.”"We’re extremely proud of the progress we continue to make with the GCAA and our partners in the UAE,” Archer said in response to a list of questions, declining to comment further.Certification delays are common in the aviation industry, even for well-established players like Airbus SE and Boeing Co. Some European aviation startups, including Lilium and Volocopter, have filed for insolvency.Joby Aviation Inc., Archer’s chief US rival, revised its timeline for UAE approvals in February, saying that its first passenger flights in Dubai could occur later this year or in early 2026.Archer and Joby have pursued commercial introduction of their all-electric aircraft in the UAE while simultaneously working toward signoff by the Federal Aviation Administration in the US. Progress in the UAE would help speed along approvals in other territories, Chief Executive Officer Adam Goldstein told Bloomberg TV in June."The goal is to start the commercial operations actually this year in the UAE, and that will give us a chance to really get these aircraft out there, show everybody what they can do,” Goldstein said at the time.So-called EVTOLs — or electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft — promise to replace some helicopter flights with cheaper, less-polluting services, while also competing for airport commutes with services like Uber.Yet the timing of their introduction has proven difficult to predict. Approvals involve many steps, and regulators have been cautious given the potential safety risks of establishing a brand-new product category in commercial aviation. In the case of the UAE, the GCAA has never served as the main certification body for a significant passenger aircraft.Archer has made progress with Midnight, a piloted, fixed-wing craft with room for four passengers that’s powered by 12 propellers, six of which swivel for vertical takeoff. Archer conducted a test flight in July, and Goldstein said on an August conference call with investors that the company expects its UAE Launch Edition to start generating cash inflows this year.The manufacturer’s operating partner in the UAE is state-controlled Abu Dhabi Aviation, the emirate’s largest helicopter operator. The Abu Dhabi Investment Office has signed a deal with Archer to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the air-taxi rollout, mostly in the form of subsidies tied to production, operation and other related activities.Archer has also chosen Abu Dhabi for its international headquarters, and has announced one route between the emirate and Dubai’s man-made island of Palm Jumeirah. The company has said it plans early exhibition flights with passengers ahead of more robust commercial operations.