Archer Aviation is partnering with Etihad Aviation Training (EAT) to recruit and train pilots to fly the California-based company’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft in the United Arab Emirates. Archer and EAT announced the partnership on Monday at the opening of the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the four-passenger Midnight air taxi is on display.
EAT, which is part of Etihad Aviation Group, recruits and trains pilots, cabin crew, maintenance technicians, and airport personnel for dozens of airlines at its facilities adjacent to Abu Dhabi International Airport. It is one of the largest training facilities in the Middle East, with nine full-flight simulators and seven flight training devices for Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
“Etihad Aviation Training today recruits and trains pilots to fly with dozens of global airlines. We couldn’t be more excited to choose Archer as our first eVTOL partner to recruit and train the first class of electric air taxi pilots to fly Archer’s Midnight aircraft right here in Abu Dhabi as soon as 2025,” said company CEO Paolo La Cava.
As part of the agreement, Archer will deliver a flight simulator to EAT’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi later this year. That simulator will allow EAT to develop its own “pilot training competencies” while also supporting the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in its efforts to regulate and certify eVTOL operations and training requirements.
Electric air taxi services with Archer’s Midnight aircraft could launch in the UAE as early as 2025, pending regulatory approval. The company expects to have its FAA type certificate in time to begin U.S. operations that same year. Local charter providers Falcon Aviation and Air Chateau have already agreed to operate the Midnight aircraft in the region and are working with Archer to establish various aspects of the local urban air mobility ecosystem, such as vertiport facilities. Earlier this year, Archer and rival eVTOL manufacturer Joby signed agreements with the government of Abu Dhabi to begin laying the groundwork for air taxi operations in the UAE.
“Training a fleet of pilots to operate our aircraft is a critically important part of our efforts to establish a thriving urban air mobility network in Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE, and Etihad Training is the premier organization to partner with on this front,” said Archer chief commercial officer Nikhil Goel. “As Etihad Training’s first eVTOL partner, we will commence a thoughtful recruiting process and begin to train the first class of qualified pilots to operate Archer’s Midnight aircraft for commercial operations within the region.”