Archer Aviation said the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has transitioned the company’s Midnight electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft into a Restricted Type Certificate (RTC) programme, advancing the regulatory pathway for commercial operations in the country.
Archer said it is the first eVTOL manufacturer to enter an RTC certification track with the GCAA, using an airworthiness framework aligned with international aviation standards. The RTC programme is intended to provide a pathway for limited commercial operations while supporting the aircraft’s longer-term certification and deployment in the UAE.
The milestone follows several years of collaboration between Archer and the GCAA, including inspections at Archer’s US headquarters and flight test facilities, as well as in-country demonstration flights involving the Midnight aircraft. The process was supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office as part of efforts to position Abu Dhabi as a hub for smart and autonomous vehicle technologies.
Archer said the certification programme includes progress across eight operational and regulatory workstreams, including aircraft certification, maintenance, flight crew training, airspace integration, vertiports and security oversight. The company is also pursuing GCAA Design Organization Approval and Production Organization Approval designations. Midnight is planned to enter service in Abu Dhabi with Abu Dhabi Aviation, Archer’s local operating partner.