Archer Aviation plans to launch eVTOL air taxi services in and around the busiest metropolitan areas in Texas: Dallas-Forth Worth, Houston and Austin. On Friday, the start-up said it will operate the 10- to 20-minute flights in its four-passenger piloted eVTOL aircraft, which has yet to complete FAA type certification.
The planned Texas Triangle operations are expected to connect the cities’ main airports with business centers and popular destinations. This weekend, Archer is displaying its Midnight prototype to crowds attending the U.S. Formula 1 Grand Prix race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
The network map for the Dallas-Fort Worth area is centered on Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (KDFW), with downtown flight connections from local airports including Perot Field (KAFW), Addison Field (KADS), Love Field (KDAL), Fort Worth Meacham (KFTW) and Arlington Municipal (KGKY), as well as the Frisco Station neighborhood. Local ground support partners include FBO chains Signature Aviation, Atlantic Aviation, Alliance Aviation Services, and Modern Aviation.
The Houston area operations will connect the city center Thompson Hotel helipad with George Bush Intercontinental Airport (KIAH), as well as Sugar Land Regional Airport (KSGR), and William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU). Flights will also go to and from the Island Jet Center at the Gulf of Mexico resort Galveston. Sugar Land has previously been identified as a base for flights with the autonomous eVTOL aircraft being developed by Wisk Aero, which Archer is in the process of acquiring from Boeing.
In addition to the helipad at the Circuit of the Americas, Austin-area services will also use the city’s international (KAUS) and executive (KEDC) airports. As well as Signature Aviation, local FBO partners in Austin will include Henrikson Jet Center.
Type Certification Pending
Archer’s announcement did not say when the Texas air taxi services will start. The company has yet to start flying the production-conforming prototype needed to complete the FAA type certification process.
Like rival eVTOL aircraft developers such as Joby Aviation, Archer has targeted the start of commercial flights in 2026. Trial operations in multiple locations conducted under the U.S. government-backed eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) are providing opportunities for manufacturers, also including Beta Technologies, to evaluate early use cases.
Archer has also announced plans for air taxi services in cities including Los Angeles and Miami. The company, which has just completed a series of flight trials in the San Francisco Bay Area, is also developing uncrewed electric aircraft for military applications in partnership with drone specialist Anduril.
Along with Beta and Macquarie Capital, Archer is involved in America’s Consortium for Electric Skyways to provide aircraft charging capability at up to 250 potential air taxi sites. This initiative is working with the Texas Department of Transportation to develop networks as part of the state’s eIPP program.
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