Archer Aviation and United Airlines have revealed their first airport to city centre route between United's hub at Newark Liberty International airport and New York City. The Downtown Manhattan Heliport, located just above Battery Park on Pier 6, has been confirmed as the first planned take off and landing site as part of Archer's broader plan to launch an urban air mobility (UAM) network across the New York metropolitan area. The goal of Archer's electric air taxi network is to provide passengers with safe, quick, quiet and cost-effective transportation to and from Newark.

The OEM claims this is the first specific route that has been announced in the eVTOL industry. United's hub at Newark is ideally located to serve Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs, as well as communities in New Jersey. Archer estimates the journey from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport will take less than 10 minutes via its all-electric Midnight aircraft, a low noise, sustainable and safe alternative to helicopters. A similar journey by car can take upwards of an hour or more during rush hour traffic.

“We're excited to be confirming New York as the first of many routes we'll be announcing alongside United as we work to build out our national UAM network,” says founder and CEO Adam Goldstein. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with United and to working closely with state and local government leaders in the New York and New Jersey area as we bring this exciting new form of transportation to life.”

"We are thrilled that Archer and United Airlines have selected to launch their first route right here in our New York City,” says NYC mayor Eric Adams. “We want New York to be a place of bold innovation and outside the box thinking, and I encourage other companies to follow their lead."

“Once operational, electric air taxis will fundamentally change how United customers experience comfort, convenience and efficiency during their commutes to the airport,” adds United Airlines Ventures president Michael Leskinen. “Archer's New York to Newark route marks another important benchmark towards providing a carbon-neutral and safe commute that drastically reduces the travel time and produces a fraction of the sound emitted by helicopters.”

Archer's early launch routes will provide airport to city centre transportation service, which it refers to as trunk routes. Once these primary trunk routes have been established, Archer will begin building out branch routes to connect to surrounding communities. The first phase of this UAM network is targeted for launch in 2025.

Archer has also released its operating and financial results for the third quarter ended 30 September, 2022. Alongside this route announcement, recent key operating highlights include the completion of the first wing-borne flight with its Maker demonstrator aircraft, which is on track to complete a first full transition flight in coming weeks. Archer is unveiling its production aircraft, Midnight, at an open house event on 16 November.

Goldstein says: “We are building on our momentum towards commercialisation. In addition to the milestones, Archer's world-class team is executing successfully across all areas of our business. We are looking forward to sharing more on Midnight's capabilities at our upcoming open house event.”

Archer's financial estimates for fourth quarter of 2022 are for GAAP total operating expenses of $100 million to $110 million, and for non-GAAP total operating expenses of $70 million to $80 million. This reflects expected stock-based compensation, warrant expense and other one-time expenses of approximately $30 million.