Archer aims for Abu Dhabi launch of flying taxi fleet in 2026

Abu Dhabi is positioning itself to become the first city in the Middle East to run a full-scale network of air taxis, planning to launch commercial operations next year.

The emirate’s government and local companies are working with U.S.-based Archer Aviation to create a system that could turn congested car commutes into 10-20 minute flights across the city, Talib Alhinai, Archer’s lead executive for the Middle East, told The Circuit.

“It’s an ecosystem‑wide approach that is making this happen,” Alhinai said in an interview.

Archer, headquartered in San Jose, California, will bring its “Midnight” eVTOL aircraft to the UAE, backed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, Abu Dhabi Aviation, Etihad Aviation Training, and Abu Dhabi Airports, which plans to build at least 10 so-called vertiports across the emirate. ADIO signed a multimillion‑dollar framework agreement with Archer last year and presented key elements of its plan during Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week.

Alhinai, 37, a board member of the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority who has a Ph.D. in Aerial Robotics from Imperial College London, frames the project in terms of urban design and looking skyward.

“Our cities have landed a lot in the second dimension,” he said. “As populations have grown and as urbanization continues, our cities have not expanded in the third dimension.”

Globally, air taxi technology is advancing rapidly. In China, EHang is already operating autonomous air taxis in Guangzhou and Hefei while conducting test flights in Shanghai and Shenzhen. In the U.S., Archer and Joby Aviation have flown demonstration eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft and are pursuing regulatory approval. Europe’s Volocopter and Lilium are conducting test flights and limited urban services, while Japan is updating regulations to allow short‑range urban air mobility.

In Abu Dhabi, Archer plans to operate dozens of air taxis across a network of vertiports connecting Zayed International Airport, Al Bateen Executive Airport, hotels, business districts, and residential areas. The goal is to cut a 60-90 minute drive through clogged city traffic to a 10–20 minute flight. Flights will initially be piloted, using crews trained by Etihad Aviation Training. Autonomous operations have not been scheduled.

While fares have not been publicly announced, Archer has previously indicated that rates will reach the upper end of the premium‑transportation market. A study by St. Petersburg, Florida-based Ark Invest in 2023 found that air taxis will probably settle at prices slightly lower than helicopter rides, with a flight between New York’s JFK Airport and downtown Manhattan costing about $430.

As Abu Dhabi moves to offer the UAE’s first commercial air taxi service, Dubai is advancing air-taxi programs with EHang and other companies. Saudi Arabia is planning air taxis as part of large-scale development projects in Riyadh and on the kingdom’s western coast. 

Alhinai says Abu Dhabi’s progress has been accelerated by the government’s determination to get air taxis flying as soon as possible. “The country has built the scaffolding around us to make this commercially viable, not just experimental,” he said.