Archer's Midnight Air Taxi Cleared for Piloted Flights in Los Angeles — But It's Not a Full Commercial Licence Yet

Archer Aviation's Midnight eVTOL has received a Market Survey Special Airworthiness Certificate from the FAA, clearing the way for piloted flights in Los Angeles in the coming weeks — though it is not the type certificate needed for regular commercial passenger service. The news came as Archer reported a US$274.6 million net loss for Q3 2026.

jajoy39

Nov 11, 2026 - 01:04

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Archer Aviation's white Midnight eVTOL aircraft in flight over rolling brown hills under a pale blue sky, its six rotors spinning and landing gear extended.

Archer's Midnight Air Taxi Cleared for Piloted Flights in Los Angeles — But It's Not a Full Commercial Licence Yet

Archer Aviation's Midnight eVTOL has received a Market Survey Special Airworthiness Certificate from the FAA, which Archer says unlocks piloted flights in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.

The news came with Archer's third quarter 2026 results on 9 November. The company also says its deal to buy Boeing's Wisk, Insitu and SkyGrid businesses is nearing close.

Midnight heads to Los Angeles

Archer says the certificate lets it start piloted operations in LA as it prepares to carry passengers under the US Department of Transportation's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) and for the LA28 Olympic Games.

It follows the Northern California leg of Archer's "No Roads" tour, which finished in October. Archer says Midnight flew more than 300 miles of piloted flights around the Bay Area, including several flights in and out of Oakland International Airport.

Midnight is Archer's all-electric, four-passenger air taxi.

What this certificate is — and is not

The market survey certificate is an important step, but it is not the approval that matters most. Archer isn't the first eVTOL maker to get this type of certificate — BETA's ALIA A250 got the first FAA market survey certificate for an eVTOL in October.

More importantly, Archer's results release doesn't mention any progress on a type certificate for Midnight, which is the approval it would need for regular commercial passenger service. Until that arrives, Midnight can fly in test and demonstration programmes, but it cannot operate as a normal commercial air taxi.

Boeing deal and defence work

Archer agreed in August to buy Boeing's Wisk, Insitu and SkyGrid businesses, a deal that would make Boeing its largest shareholder. The deal is still subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.

Archer says Insitu, the maker of the ScanEagle drone, would add more than US$200 million in annual revenue and operations across 35 countries.

On the defence side, Archer has started testing the turboshaft engine for the hybrid autonomous VTOL platform it is developing with Anduril. The same airframe and powertrain will be used for a commercial variant called Halo and a defence variant called Thunder, and full-scale flight testing is on track to start next year.

Archer also delivered its first engines to Anduril for Omen during the quarter, and signed a multi-year alliance with Formula 1 to explore air taxi services at Grand Prix events.

Archer Q3 2026 results

Archer's third-quarter numbers show a company still spending heavily to get its aircraft to market. Revenue was US$5.1 million, up from US$5.0 million in Q2. Net loss was US$274.6 million, up from US$129.9 million a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA loss was US$178.5 million, at the favourable end of its US$170 million to US$200 million guidance. Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments stood at US$1.35 billion, down about US$207 million from Q2.

For Q4, Archer expects revenue of US$5 million to US$6 million and an adjusted EBITDA loss of US$185 million to US$205 million.

The Los Angeles flights will be the next public test of whether Midnight is ready for the step that matters — carrying passengers. The certificate opens the door; the type certificate, and the Olympics, will decide how far through it Archer gets.