Electric Air Taxis Take Off

American eVTOL pioneers Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation have turned to the UAE to launch their first electric air taxi services abroad as the two companies continue to trudge through the Federal Aviation Administration’s type certification process.

Archer Aviation began flight testing a prototype of its four-passenger Midnight eVTOL air taxi in July 2025 at Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen Executive Airport near the iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in the UAE. Those initial tests evaluated the aircraft’s performance in the hot, humid, and dusty conditions typical of the region, where summertime temperatures often exceed 100 degrees F.

Meanwhile, Joby has been conducting flight tests of its four-passenger JAS4-1 eVTOL aircraft nearby in Dubai, preparing for the launch of air taxi services in and around the UAE’s most populous city.