United Airlines agreed to buy dozens of Archer's eVTOL aircraft.Midnight, an all-electric aircraft from company Archer Aviation, is seen at the Salinas Municipal Airport in Salinas, California, on Aug. 2, 2023.Carriers have been investing in or ordering eVTOL aircraft, which take off and land vertically like helicopters and whose developers say they can cut down on emissions in congested areas.
"Today we have received the Part 135 certification, which allows us to effectively become an airline so we can carry passengers," Archer CEO Adam Goldstein told CNBC. The process has taken Archer about two years: It submitted more than 2,000 pages of documents and 14 manuals outlining operational procedures, training and maintenance.
Now Archer has to get its four-passenger aircraft, called "Midnight," certified by the FAA, which the company is currently working on, Goldstein said. That could put the air taxis into service as early as next year, the company estimates. Goldstein said he couldn't give an exact time frame but when asked about certification delays on variants of older aircraft, he noted that Archer's aircraft are much simpler with far fewer components than commercial jets.
"This is not something that is a push of a button," said Andrew Chang, managing director of United Airlines' venture arm. "It's matching how quickly can progress the operational side and how to fit that within our airport hubs."received its Part 135 certificate two years ago, has a partnership with the U.S.
Energy Energy Latest News, Energy Energy Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: NBCNewYork - 🏆 270. / 63 Read more »
Source: verge - 🏆 94. / 67 Read more »