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 GCAA for its Midnight eVTOL, establishing a pathway for "limited" commercial operations and making it the first eVTOL manufacturer to do so.
This agreement, developed in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, aims for a commercial launch in the UAE by this year, with Abu Dhabi Aviation confirmed as a launch customer.
The company's Midnight eVTOL will also begin domestic demonstrations under the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) in the U.S. later this year, involving flights into real airports.
A key remaining technical hurdle for Archer is achieving a piloted transition from hover to forward flight, a milestone already reached by some 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.