Archer Aviation has erected the walls of a 400,000-sq-ft factory in Covington, Georgia, where the Silicon Valley-based aircraft developer plans to mass-produce its four-passenger Midnight eVTOL air taxi. According to Archer, construction is on track for completion by the end of this year.
In a statement issued July 31, Archer said it completed the first build phase, involving grading and foundation work, earlier this year. Phase two, the construction of the facility’s exterior walls and roof, is “nearing completion,” the company said. It is working towards completing FAA type certification in time for commercial operations to begin in 2025.
Located at Covington Municipal Airport some 40 miles east of Atlanta, the high-volume manufacturing facility will initially target a production rate of 650 Midnight aircraft per year. Eventually the company hopes to more than double the factory’s floorspace and ramp up production rates to around 2,300 aircraft per year.
To help it achieve these ambitious and unprecedented production rates, Archer has partnered with European automotive group Stellantis, which formed in 2021 from the merger between carmakers Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot. Stellantis is also a major investor in Archer and has agreed to provide the company with up to $150 million in equity financing.
“Thanks to the hard work of the Archer and Stellantis teams, we’re tracking towards completing this manufacturing facility by the end of the year,” said Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein. “Once complete, we’ll focus on ramping production up to 650 aircraft a year—our goal is to be the first in the eVTOL industry to achieve scaled manufacturing.”
Last week Archer showed off an example of the Midnight aircraft to a group of government officials in a special event held at Atlantic Aviation’s new FBO at DeKalb–Peachtree Municipal Airport near Atlanta.