Archer Aviation has begun a series of city-to-city flights designed to demonstrate its Midnight electric air taxi in real-world operating environments, starting with a piloted round trip between Salinas and Hollister, California.
The Sept. 4 flight was the first stop on Archer’s “No Roads” tour. Midnight flew each leg in about 12 minutes, covering more than 40 miles round trip and reaching a reported 125 mph at a cruise altitude of 3,550 feet. Archer said the same trips can take about 40 minutes or more by car.
The flight followed more than 70 test flights completed by Archer in August, including a July round trip between Salinas Municipal Airport and Monterey Regional Airport. That flight took about nine minutes each way.
Archer said the tour is being conducted in coordination with the FAA and will continue with planned flights to Monterey, San Martin, San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco. The company also plans to expand operations to the Los Angeles area and to Texas and Florida as it prepares for participation in the White House’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP).
The tour is also part of Archer’s preparation to provide air taxi service during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
Archer says the city-to-city flights are intended to demonstrate how electric aircraft could replace longer ground trips with short flights. Midnight is designed to carry a pilot and up to four passengers and is intended for rapid, repeated flights between locations.
The company is also planning to introduce charging locations in multiple states as part of its ACES electric aviation infrastructure initiative with BETA Technologies and Macquarie Capital.
The eIPP is expected to provide Archer and other eVTOL developers with experience operating in U.S. communities before full-scale commercial service begins. Archer’s partners in Texas, Florida and New York were selected for the federal program earlier this year, with operations expected to begin later in 2026.
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