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 has secured a "restricted type certificate" (RTC) program with the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) for its Midnight eVTOL, establishing a pathway for "limited" commercial operations.
Archer claims this makes them the first eVTOL manufacturer to establish such a program with the GCAA, giving them a competitive edge in the UAE market, with a commercial launch targeted for this year.
While the exact scope and start date for passenger flights in the UAE are yet to be clarified, Archer will also begin non-commercial demonstration flights in the U.S. later this year, though a key piloted transition flight test remains.

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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.