ITA Airways Signs Agreement With Archer Aviation to Develop Electric Air Taxi Network in Italy
Why It MattersArcher's first European airline partner shows eVTOL developers courting flag carriers to link airports and city centers, though a launch remains undefined for now.
ITA Airways has signed an agreement with Archer Aviation to develop an electric air taxi network in Italy, with the aim of eventually giving travelers a way to fly over traffic between the country's airports and city centers. The service would use Archer's all-electric Midnight aircraft, which is built for short, back-to-back hops of 10 to 20 minutes on routes that take 60 to 90 minutes by car. Archer says the transfer from Rome Fiumicino to the city center, about an hour on the ground, could take less than 10 minutes by air.
The companies did not name launch cities, a start date or pricing. ITA Airways, Italy's flag carrier and a member of the Lufthansa Group, described the deal as an early step and said it is still weighing options. CEO and general manager Joerg Eberhart said the agreement is an important step in assessing how electric air taxi services could complement the airline's network and enhance connections between airports, city centers and other strategic destinations, adding that the airline is exploring different solutions to identify the best product for its customers.
Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein noted that Rome Fiumicino crossed 50 million passengers last year for the first time in its history. Archer said ITA Airways is the first European carrier to join its roster of airline partners, which already includes programs in the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates. The company recently flew Midnight with a pilot on board over several days in the Bay Area, including trips from Oakland to San Francisco's Marina District that took roughly 10 minutes.
