Archer Aviation Unveils Plans for NYC Air Taxi Service

New York City: a place where you can grab a dollar slice at 2 a.m., get McDonald’s delivered in under 30 minutes, and still spend two hours stuck in traffic trying to catch a flight. Archer Aviation wants to flip that narrative — not by fixing the roads, but by flying over them.

The electric aircraft startup has revealed an ambitious plan to bring air taxis to the city in partnership with United Airlines. The goal? Fly passengers from Manhattan to major airports like JFK, LaGuardia, or Newark in just five to fifteen minutes.

From Traffic Jams to Takeoffs

Spearheading the vision are Archer’s co-founder and CEO Adam Goldstein, and Chief Commercial Officer Nikhil Goel. The two laid out their plan from a fitting vantage point — Casa Cipriani, overlooking the Downtown Manhattan heliport, one of the nine key “nodes” in their proposed NYC network.

Here’s what the initial network looks like:

• Three major airports: JFK, LaGuardia, Newark
• Three main heliports: Downtown Manhattan, East Side, West Side
• Three regional hubs: Teterboro, Westchester, Long Island Republic

The idea is simple: leverage existing heliport infrastructure, swap out helicopters for Archer’s electric aircraft — the Midnight, a five-seat eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) — and radically cut urban travel times.

Still on the Runway

There’s one catch: Archer still doesn’t have FAA certification for Midnight. So far, the aircraft has only flown autonomously — no human pilot onboard. That puts them behind competitors like Joby Aviation and Beta Technologies, both of which have completed piloted flights.

Goldstein says Archer is aiming for certification in 2026, with a piloted flight update expected in the next earnings call. Until then, the company is focused on setting the stage: infrastructure, partnerships, and early operations.

Partnerships Make It Possible

Archer’s plan hinges on partnerships. United Airlines will help with logistics like maintenance, aircraft storage, charging infrastructure, and even vertiport installations at airports. In Manhattan, Archer is teaming up with fixed-base operators (FBOs) like Atlantic Aviation, Signature, and Modern Aviation to secure access to heliports and support facilities.

“New York is the number one helicopter commuting city in the world, outside of São Paulo,” Goel noted. “We’re not reinventing the wheel — we’re replacing it with something quieter, cleaner, and safer.”

Scaling the Sky

The plan is to start small — maybe five aircraft in New York — and gradually scale up. Archer’s production facility in Georgia, built with automotive giant Stellantis, is now up and running. The company aims to produce 650 aircraft annually by 2030, eventually flying hundreds of air taxis across multiple cities.

Other launch markets include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Abu Dhabi — where regulations are looser, allowing for an earlier debut this year. Archer hopes a successful launch abroad will build public trust and excitement in the U.S.

A Glimpse of What’s Next

The pitch is clear: skip the traffic, fly across the city, and make urban travel faster, greener, and less painful. While regulatory hurdles remain, Archer’s New York plan isn’t just futuristic — it’s grounded in the infrastructure and habits the city already has.

As Goldstein put it, “We’re hoping people look at [Abu Dhabi] and say, ‘Oh, it’s real. How is New York gonna work?’”

Turns out, it might not be that far away.