FutureFlight
Dubai Heliport Operator Plans To Purchase Archer's Midnight eVTOL Air Taxi
Air Chateau International, a private helicopter operator in the UAE, intends to purchase up to 100 Midnight eVTOL aircraft from Archer Aviation in a deal worth $500 million.
Air Chateau and Archer Aviation signed a memorandum of understanding at the Dubai Airshow on November 16.
Air Chateau and Archer Aviation signed a memorandum of understanding at the Dubai Airshow on November 16. (Photo: Archer Aviation)

Air Chateau International, a private heliport operator in the UAE, intends to purchase up to 100 Midnight eVTOL aircraft from Archer Aviation in a deal worth $500 million. In a memorandum of understanding signed at the Dubai Airshow on November 16, Air Chateau agreed to send Archer a nonrefundable pre-delivery payment of $1 million by the end of December. According to Archer, it will work with Air Chateau over the coming months to “formalize the definitive agreements,” and it expects to receive another $4 million in pre-delivery payments after they seal the deal. 

Archer’s Midnight is a piloted, four-passenger eVTOL aircraft that will initially serve routes connecting major airports and city centers. The California-based company plans to launch its first commercial air taxi routes in New York and Chicago in 2025, and it recently signaled its intent to bring the aircraft to international markets shortly thereafter. In October, the company partnered with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office with the goal of launching commercial air taxi services in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai in 2026. 

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