Archer & Etihad Aviation Partner Up for Pilot Training

Archer Aviation, the US-based developer of eVTOL aircraft, has announced a partnership with Etihad Aviation Training, a pilot, cabin crew, and ground staff training school.

The partnership has been forged to establish Archer Aviation as a pioneer in the UAE market and to expand the world of aircraft operations. Under the new collaboration, Archer Aviation will recruit and train the pilots of Etihad Aviation Training for their signature eVTOL aircraft. The move comes with the aim of establishing an “appropriate pilot training curriculum in the UAE” to enable the operations of eVTOL aircrafts by 2025.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties was signed on May 20, 2024 at the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At the event, Archer Aviation also showcased its Midnight series aircraft, piloted four-passenger aircraft, for the first time in the country.

“Training a fleet of pilots to operate our aircraft is a critically important part of our efforts to establish a thriving urban air mobility network in Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE, and Etihad Training is the premiere organisation to partner with on this front. As Etihad Training’s first eVTOL partner, we will commence a thoughtful recruiting process and begin to train the first class of qualified pilots to operate Archer’s Midnight aircraft for commercial operations within the region,” expressed Nikhil Goel, Chief Commerical Officer, Archer Aviation.

On the occasion, Paolo La Cava, Chief Executive Officer & Accountable Manager of Etihad Aviation Training, said, “Etihad Aviation Training today recruits and trains pilots to fly with dozens of global airlines. We couldn’t be more excited to choose Archer as our first eVTOL partner to recruit and train the first class of electric air taxi pilots to fly Archer’s Midnight aircraft right here in Abu Dhabi as soon as 2025. We look forward to installing the Archer Midnight flight simulator in our facilities later this year.”