Aircraft
FAA Finalizes Airworthiness Criteria for Midnight eVTOL Aircraft
A smooth certification process could see Midnight begin flying passengers in 2025
Archer's Midnight eVTOL aircraft is pictured during a flight test
Archer has been flying its first Midnight eVTOL prototype at a test facility in Salinas, California, since October 2023. It is now building three additional conforming prototypes that it will use for FAA certification testing. © Archer Aviation

The FAA has issued its final airworthiness criteria for Archer Aviation’s four-passenger Midnight eVTOL air taxi, the California company announced May 23. 

Archer is now the second eVTOL manufacturer to clear this regulatory hurdle with the FAA, which published its final airworthiness criteria for Joby Aviation’s five-seat JAS4-1 air taxi on April 8. The final criteria for Archer’s Midnight will be formally published in the federal register on May 24.

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