Archer, UAE Regulator Agree on Streamlined Air Taxi Certification Process

Restricted type certificate (RTC) program creates a path to begin ‘limited’ commercial operations.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, May 07, 2026 at 03:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Archer’s flagship Midnight air taxi conducts a test flight in the United Arab Emirates. [Credit: Archer Aviation]

Key Takeaways:

Archer Aviation secured a Restricted Type Certificate (RTC) program with the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), establishing a streamlined pathway for "limited" commercial eVTOL operations with its Midnight aircraft.
Archer claims to be the first eVTOL manufacturer to establish such an RTC program with the GCAA, aiming for a commercial launch in the UAE by this year with partners like the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.
The specific nature of the "limited" commercial operations in the UAE (e.g., passenger flights) and their exact start date remain unclear, though Midnight will also begin non-commercial demonstrations in the U.S. this year.
A significant remaining technical hurdle for Archer is to successfully complete a piloted transition flight from hover to forward flight, a milestone already achieved by several competitors.

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California-based eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxi developer Archer Aviation said Thursday that it secured an “established pathway” to begin “limited” commercial operations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Archer said the country’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) established a restricted type certificate (RTC) program for its flagship Midnight, streamlining the company’s path to operations. It did not say whether those operations would include passenger flights or when exactly they might begin.