Archer Aviation Completes FAA Type-Certification Phase 3, Targets First U.S. Paying Passenger Before 2028
Why It MattersAdvancing through the FAA's final certification phase while UAE regulators clear a parallel restricted path signals eVTOL commercial launches may arrive overseas before U.S. approval concludes.
Archer Aviation says it became the first eVTOL company to close Phase 3 of the FAA's four-phase type-certification process and has now entered Phase 4, where compliance with airworthiness requirements must be demonstrated through formal testing. In July, a piloted Midnight aircraft flew a round trip between Salinas Municipal Airport and Monterey Regional Airport in California, each leg taking about nine minutes, marking the company's first intercity flights in the state.
Archer has been selected as an air taxi partner in three winning applications covering eight states under the White House's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. CEO Adam Goldstein said the company plans to begin flying in the Los Angeles area out of Hawthorne Airport and later start eIPP operations in Texas this year. Archer is also the Official Air Taxi Provider of the LA28 Olympic Games in summer 2028, and has previously targeted its first passenger-carrying flights in 2026.
Archer reported a net loss of $263.2 million in the second quarter, up about 28% year over year and up from $217.7 million in the first quarter, with second-quarter revenue of $5 million coming from fueling, ground handling and leasing space at Hawthorne Airport rather than passenger service. Management guided to a third-quarter adjusted EBITDA loss of $170 million to $200 million, following a $177.1 million adjusted EBITDA loss in the second quarter. The company ended June with approximately $1.6 billion in cash and short-term investments, down about $215 million for the quarter, and agreed in August to acquire three subsidiaries from Boeing in a stock-and-warrants deal expected to close by year-end. Archer's shares are down about 61% from their 52-week high, with a market capitalisation of roughly $4.4 billion.
Separately, the United Arab Emirates' aviation regulator has moved Midnight into a Restricted Type Certificate program, a streamlined path allowing limited commercial operations, with service planned in Abu Dhabi — meaning Archer's first fare-paying flight could occur overseas before the FAA process concludes.
