TL;DR
An electric air taxi says it now has the federal paperwork to start flying over Los Angeles. On a Nov. 9 earnings call, Archer Aviation's CEO said its four-passenger Midnight has received an FAA certificate that allows market-survey flights, the demonstration-and-survey category the agency uses before regular service, and that the company plans to carry passengers under it in 2027. That is the company's own account, reported secondhand from summaries of the call; neither the certificate's date nor an FAA notice has surfaced. Archer is also the official air taxi provider for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, so Los Angeles could be among the first U.S. cities where people ride one. The next test is a piloted switch from hovering to wing-borne flight, which Archer is aiming to fly by the end of this year. Earlier today we covered a rival air taxi that is three of five steps through FAA approval (our story). To see our odds on when riders climb aboard in Los Angeles, and the timeline of breakthroughs that leads to paid rides, subscribe.
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