United Airlines Announces Plans for Air Taxi Network in New York City

2 weeks ago 4

Commuting to any of New York City’s three major airports is about to get a lot more convenient. Archer Aviation and United have announced plans for a new air taxi network around NYC, including services from Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia International Airport (LGA), and New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International (EWR).

With the new service, passengers will glide seamlessly above the city’s traffic inside Archer’s Midnight electric air taxi, which can shuttle up to four fliers between Manhattan and the area’s airports in five to 15 minutes.

The air taxi network will operate vertiports at existing skyports in Lower Manhattan, Midtown East, and Midtown West. The plans show future routes would also include access to smaller airports that serve the New York metropolitan area, including Long Island’s Republic Airport (FRG), Westchester County Airport (HPN) in suburban New York, and Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, which is primarily used for private jets.

Because the Midnight aircraft is electric, it’s able to operate with less emissions and reduced noise compared to a traditional helicopter. Archer also says the air taxi includes 12 total engines and propellers, which makes its safety credentials closer to those of a commercial airliner than a helicopter.

“The New York region is home to three of the world’s preeminent airports, serving upwards of 150 million passengers annually,” said Adam Goldstein, Archer’s founder and CEO. “But the drive from Manhattan to any of these airports can be painful, taking one, sometimes two hours. We want to change that by giving residents and visitors the option to complete trips in mere minutes. With its existing helicopter infrastructure, regulatory support and strong demand, I believe New York could be one of the first markets for air taxis in the United States.”

There’s no firm launch date yet for the new air taxi service, as Archer is still working with the FAA to get the proper certification for its aircraft. Once certification is achieved, the company “and its operating partners plan to safely and seamlessly integrate Midnight into service.”

In 2021, United Airlines announced a $1 billion order for its own fleet of Archer’s Midnight aircraft.

Archer has also unveiled plans for similar air taxi networks in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the company has yet to announce which US city it will launch operations in first.

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