Archer Maps Out Miami eVTOL Air Taxi Vertiport Network

Archer Aviation has revealed the locations in South Florida where it intends to introduce vertiport infrastructure for electric air taxi operations with its four-passenger Midnight eVTOL aircraft. 

The company’s proposed vertiport network would connect Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach. The plan includes three major airports—Miami International Airport (KMIA), Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (KFLL), and Palm Beach International Airport (KPBI)—as well as some smaller general aviation airports and existing helipads in the region, where Archer has been preparing to introduce eVTOL services since 2021. 

Announcing the planned Miami vertiport network on December 3, Archer also revealed new partnerships with Hard Rock Stadium and Apogee Golf Club to enable commercial eVTOL air taxi operations at their existing helipads. Located in Miami Gardens, Hard Rock Stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League and the Miami Hurricanes, the University of Miami's college football team. Apogee Golf Club is located about 75 miles north of the stadium in Martin County, the northernmost extent of Archer’s planned South Florida vertiport network.

Real-estate company Related Ross also intends to partner with Archer to develop a vertiport at its downtown West Palm Beach development, Archer announced on Wednesday. “We are integrating Archer’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft into our flagship locations across South Florida, including the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Related Ross developments in West Palm Beach, and Apogee Club in Hobe Sound,” said Stephen Ross, CEO and chairman of Related Ross. “We’re excited to embrace a forward-thinking vision that transforms how people and businesses move across the region.”

In Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood, real-estate investment firm Dragon Global intends to build an eVTOL vertiport in a new development dubbed the Magic City Innovation District, which “was designed as a next-generation hub for technology, culture, and mobility,” according to Dragon Global founder Bob Zangrillo. “Plaza Equity Partners, the project’s developer, is driving that vision forward by partnering with Archer to integrate an entirely new layer of transportation—an air mobility network that connects our district with the broader region and advances a multimodal, future-ready transportation ecosystem for South Florida.”

Archer is already working with FBO chains Atlantic Aviation and Signature Aviation, both of which have facilities on Florida’s Atlantic coast, to introduce the necessary electric aircraft charging infrastructure for its planned vertiport network. United Airlines has agreed to operate Archer’s Midnight aircraft and has already placed a $10 million down payment for its 100-aircraft order. 

While an exact timeframe for FAA certification of the first eVTOL air taxis and the launch of commercial services remains to be determined, Archer has said it could enter service in 2026, with early operations likely launching in the UAE before the U.S. 

Archer Deepens Defense Ties

In addition to the four-passenger Midnight eVTOL aircraft Archer is developing for commercial air taxi services, the company is also pursuing an autonomous, hybrid-electric version of the aircraft to offer for defense applications through its Archer Defense business unit in partnership with Anduril. 

To that end, the company announced in August that it had acquired the patent portfolio of rival eVTOL aircraft developer Overair and would be recruiting “key talent” from the former Karem Aircraft spinoff. Since then, Karem has also agreed to contribute its military-grade tiltrotor technology to Archer’s defense aircraft, the companies announced on December 1. 

“As we build the next generation of dual-use vertical lift aircraft, partnering with the pioneers who have shaped modern rotorcraft is essential,” said Archer co-founder and CEO Adam Goldstein. “Karem’s military-grade rotor systems are among the most advanced Army-validated technologies in the world. Integrating them into our next-gen hybrid VTOL platform positions Archer to move faster and deliver capabilities that legacy systems simply can’t match.”

Building on its partnership with Anduril, Archer has also agreed to supply its proprietary electric powertrains for the Omen autonomous air vehicle that Anduril is developing in partnership with UAE defense technology group Edge. Announced at the Dubai Airshow last month, that deal marks the first time that Archer has made Midnight’s propulsion system available to a third party, representing a new revenue stream.