Archer Aviation has announced the completion of a piloted roundtrip journey with its all-electric Midnight aircraft in California. On July 30, Midnight departed from Salinas Municipal Airport and landed at Monterey Regional Airport before completing the return flight.
Archer worked closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct the piloted roundtrip intercity flight, which the company said represents a step toward launching Midnight operations under the White House’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) later this year.
Midnight completed each leg of the journey in approximately nine minutes. The same trip can take more than 35 minutes by car, demonstrating the short, time-saving journeys the aircraft is designed to perform.
“This roundtrip journey is exactly the kind of route we plan to fly with Midnight under the eIPP and in LA during the Olympic Games,” said Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer. “This mission provides a template for us to replicate with our partners across Texas, Florida and New York as we get ready for eIPP operations later this year.”
As part of its broader eIPP efforts, Archer is working with the FAA as well as federal, state and local partners to establish procedures, infrastructure and local operational capabilities required to support future commercial air taxi operations.
The work also supports Archer’s preparations in Los Angeles, where the company will serve as the Official Air Taxi Provider for the LA28 Olympic Games.
Archer’s Midnight air taxi is designed to enable passengers to replace 60- to 90-minute ground journeys with quiet, all-electric flights, reducing travel times compared with traditional ground transportation and helping passengers avoid road congestion.
