Korean Air to commercialise Archer eVTOLs
The agreement says both Korean Air and Archer will collaborate on commercialising Midnight eVTOLs for “multiple national priorities”, the first of these being “goverenment applications”, although neither party has specified what this actually refers to. The agreement also contains provision for the future potential purchase of 100 Midnight aircraft – however it is not a sales agreement. In a statement, Archer said: “This partnership aims to accelerate the introduction of differentiated aircraft capabilities in the near term while laying the foundation for the broad adoption of Archer’s aircraft in Korea across multiple end markets and use cases.”
It marks another big landmark for Archer Aviation, which has spent the last year growing its commercial agreements all while flight testing its eVTOLs over in the US. In May, Archer nabbed a deal with the 2028 LA Olympics to act as the official ‘air taxi’ carrier for athletes and VIPs. And, in February, Archer presented a plan for a flying taxi network in New York alongsider United Airlines. Besides the new commercial agreements, Archer has also made substantial headway in testing its eVTOLs – including a showcase at the California International Airshow and a series of performance test flights, including a 55km piloted flight in August.
Despite all this, Archer had made little headway into East Asia up until now. The fact then that the national flag airline of South Korea has signed a commercial agreement with the American eVTOL company is therefore significant.
Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer, said: “Korean Air’s expertise in aerospace and their comprehensive strategic vision for the future make them the ideal partner for Archer. We are excited to introduce Midnight alongside them in one of the world’s largest aerospace markets.”
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