Will Establish Regulatory Pathway For Introducing eVTOL Ops

The Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation announced the signing of an agreement with Archer Aviation to collaborate in the development of a regulatory pathway for the introduction and scale-up of eVTOL air taxi operations in the Kingdom.

The establishment of such a pathway will accelerate the deployment of air taxi services, and the framework is planned to align with the FAA’s certification pathway as well. The aim is to ensure interoperability worldwide with safety and operational consistency.

Interestingly, GACA also plans to model this regulatory pathway around the U.S.’s eVTOL Implementation Pilot Program. The strategy seeks to enable early route testing and introducing service in Riyadh, Jeddah and critical gigaprojects such as Red Sea Global.

This agreement fits into the Kingdom’s broader program to develop next-generation air transportation solutions by accelerating its Advanced Air Mobility ecosystem in line with the objectives of the aviation program within the National Transport Logistics Strategy.

Archer and GACA will conduct a series of proof-of-concept demonstrations and experimental flights to validate the regulatory elements, support development of infrastructure, and boost public interest in electric air taxi services.

Captain Sulaiman bin Saleh Al-Muhaimedi, Executive Vice President for Aviation Safety and Environmental Sustainability at GACA, said, “This MoU is an important step in advancing the Kingdom’s vision for Advanced Air Mobility. By working with global partners such as Archer, we continue to strengthen the regulatory and operational foundations needed to safely integrate eVTOL aircraft into our aviation system. The initiative supports the AAM Roadmap and reinforces the Kingdom’s position as a regional leader in next-generation air transport.”

Adam Goldstein, Founder and CEO of Archer said, “Saudi Arabia is moving with impressive speed and clarity, and we are honored that GACA has chosen to collaborate with Archer in this effort. Aligning this certification work with the FAA and launching early demonstration operations in the Kingdom will help us bring this program to life safely and quickly. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with GACA to make the Kingdom one of the world’s first markets to embrace eVTOL aircraft at scale.”

FMI:  www.archer.com/