Archer Aviation says its Midnight air taxi has received a Market Survey Special Airworthiness Certificate from the FAA. The company says this allows it to begin piloted flights in Los Angeles in the coming weeks. Archer shared the news on November 9 with its third-quarter 2026 results.
The Los Angeles flights are part of Archer’s preparations to carry passengers under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) and at the LA28 Olympic Games. The certificate follows the Northern California part of Archer’s “No Roads” tour, which ended in October. Archer says Midnight flew more than 300 miles of piloted flights around the Bay Area on that tour, including several flights in and out of Oakland International Airport.
Boeing deal, hybrid engine and Formula 1
Archer said its purchase of Boeing’s Wisk, Insitu and SkyGrid businesses is nearing completion. The deal still needs some regulatory approvals and must meet other closing conditions. When it closes, Boeing is expected to become Archer’s largest shareholder and a strategic partner. Archer says Insitu alone will bring in more than $200 million in annual revenue.
The company has also started testing the turboshaft engine for Halo/Thunder, the hybrid-electric autonomous VTOL platform it is developing with Anduril. Halo is the commercial version and Thunder is the defense version. Full-scale flight testing is still planned for next year. Separately, Archer announced a multi-year partnership with Formula 1 to look at flying VIPs and fans to and from Grand Prix circuits in Midnight.
“I started Archer to unlock the skies, and we are now doing that across both commercial and defense,” founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said.
Q3 numbers
Archer reported third-quarter revenue of $5.1 million, a net loss of $274.6 million and an adjusted EBITDA loss of $178.5 million, which it said was at the favorable end of its guidance. It ended the quarter with about $1.35 billion in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. For the fourth quarter, Archer expects revenue of $5 million to $6 million and an adjusted EBITDA loss of $185 million to $205 million.
Source: Archer Aviation investor relations (also distributed via Business Wire), November 9, 2026.
Image: Archer