## Archer Aviation Aims to Soar Above NYC Traffic with Electric Air Taxis
New York City, a metropolis where late-night dollar slices and lightning-fast burger deliveries are commonplace, is also notorious for its agonizing airport commutes. Archer Aviation, in partnership with United Airlines, is looking to change that by introducing electric air taxis designed to whisk passengers from Manhattan to nearby airports in a mere 15 minutes.
The startup unveiled its ambitious New York City air taxi network plan, offering a vision where adding an Archer ride to a United Airlines ticket becomes seamless. “We’re starting with nine core nodes,” Adam Goldstein, co-founder and CEO of Archer, explained. These nodes encompass the three major international airports – JFK, La Guardia, and Newark – and the city’s three prominent heliports, including the Downtown Skyport and the east and west side heliports. The network also aims to connect to the three major regional airports: Teterboro, Westchester, and Long Island Republic.
This isn’t the first time Archer has envisioned air taxi networks in urban environments. A similar concept has been proposed for Los Angeles, highlighting the company’s commitment to revolutionizing city transportation.
However, Archer faces significant hurdles before its electric dreams can take flight. The company is currently awaiting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its five-seat electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, dubbed Midnight. Only after this approval can testing of planned routes commence.
Adding to the challenges, Archer has yet to conduct a piloted test flight. To date, Midnight has only been flown autonomously, without any human onboard. This puts Archer behind competitors like Joby Aviation and Beta Technologies, both of whom have already achieved piloted flights.
Despite these obstacles, Goldstein expressed optimism about securing the necessary certifications in 2026, promising an update on piloted flights during the company’s next earnings call. Archer, which went public in 2021, has raised a substantial $3.36 billion to date, demonstrating investor confidence in its vision.
In the meantime, Archer is focused on building the essential infrastructure and operational framework. This is where the partnership with United Airlines becomes crucial. United will play a key role in aircraft storage, maintenance, charging infrastructure, and the establishment of vertiports – specialized landing pads for eVTOLs – at airports. Furthermore, Archer has partnered with fixed-base operators (FBOs) managing Manhattan’s helipads, including Atlantic Aviation, Signature, and Modern Aviation. These partnerships will provide Archer with passenger access and support the setup of charging infrastructure.
Nikhil Goel, Archer’s chief commercial officer, emphasized New York City’s unique position. “What makes New York very compelling is it’s the number one helicopter commuting city in the world, outside of Sao Paulo,” Goel stated. He envisions a future where the existing helicopter traffic is simply replaced by Archer’s electric aircraft, leveraging established routes, air traffic control procedures, and existing landing facilities.
Archer’s initial plan involves deploying a small fleet of up to five aircraft in New York City and other selected cities to refine operations before a full-scale launch. The long-term goal is to operate hundreds of aircraft across multiple cities within the next ten to twenty years. Production of Midnight is already underway at Archer’s Georgia facility, built in collaboration with strategic investor Stellantis, with a planned annual output of 650 aircraft by 2030.
Beyond New York and Los Angeles, Archer intends to launch services in San Francisco and Miami, although the timeline remains contingent on FAA certification. The company also plans to initiate an air taxi service in Abu Dhabi later this year, capitalizing on less stringent regulations. Goldstein hopes that the Abu Dhabi launch will serve as a tangible demonstration of the technology’s viability, prompting further acceptance and anticipation for the New York City network.
“We’re hoping people look at [Abu Dhabi] and say, ‘Oh, it’s real. How is New York gonna work?’” Goldstein concluded.