Airline reveals plans for futuristic vehicle to provide 'air taxi' service around New York City: 'Strong demand'

Travel around the New York City area is about to get a whole lot easier — and cleaner. In a press release from Archer Aviation, the company announced a partnership with United Airlines to develop an air taxi network that will revolutionize travel in the region.

The plan is to allow passengers to book the air taxis as an add-on when they book their flights. The network will include existing aviation infrastructure like JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark airports, smaller airports like Westchester County, Teterboro, and Republic, as well as nearby helipads like the East 34th St. Heliport, Downtown Skyport, and the West 30th St. Heliport.

This will allow travelers to get to or from the airport in a fraction of the time. A one- or two-hour drive will turn into a five- to 15-minute ride through the sky. This will also benefit commuters who aren't even traveling by reducing the number of cars on the New York area's busy streets, cutting down on gridlock.

The flights will be made by Archer's Midnight aircraft, a four-passenger electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle. So besides reducing gridlock, this will also cut down on the carbon pollution being created by the cars sitting in traffic on the way to or from the airport, many of which would be gas-powered, only adding to the overheating of the planet.

This project has been in the works for some time. United placed a $1 billion order with Archer in 2021 to start with at least 200 aircraft.

Before the project can move forward, the Midnight needs to receive the Type Certification from the Federal Aviation Administration stating that it meets design and safety standards. Once that happens, the Midnight can be put into service.

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"With its existing helicopter infrastructure, regulatory support, and strong demand," Archer CEO Adam Goldstein said, "New York could be one of the first markets for air taxis in the United States."

And Archer isn't just planning on bringing its clean energy air taxis to New York, or even the United States. The company has also announced a similar partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline in Africa.

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