Texans are already contending with buzzing delivery drones, and soon they’ll share the sky with another new fixture: electric air taxis.
Archer Aviation is announcing plans for a new air taxi network in Texas—specifically across the “Texas Triangle,” which includes the Houston, Dallas, and Austin metro areas.
Together, the Triangle’s population exceeds 20 million people, which tends to lead to congested roads and long drive times.
The new air taxi network—similar to the network Archer announced last year for the New York City area—will link major airports in the area, as well as business centres and coastal destinations, and potentially replace hours-long drives with short flights lasting between ten and 20 minutes.
No timeline has been announced, and any potential commercial operations involving air taxi vehicles would still be subject to regulatory approval.
However, Texas is a natural fit for Archer’s network given the population and vast geography, according to Nikhil Goel, Archer Aviation’s chief commercial officer.
“Texas has three of the fastest-growing metros in the world,” he says, and has a lot of support from local and federal government.
That includes Ted Cruz, a U.S. Senator from Texas who serves as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, as well as Governor Greg Abbott, who has also been supportive of the aviation industry.
“Regulators at both the municipal and federal level see Texas as a proving ground,” Goel says. “There’s a lot of support.”
While the network will not include inter-city travel, each city will have its own intracity flights.
For example, in Dallas, passengers would be able to take flights from Arlington Municipal Airport to Fort Worth Meacham International Airport, Frisco Station, Dallas Love Field, and other locations.
In Houston, the network will connect George Bush Intercontinental Airport, two other area airports, and Galveston along the Gulf Coast.
Austin’s network will connect Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Austin Executive Airport, and the F1 Circuit Helipad at the Circuit of The Americas.
The stars at night…
Archer also plans to give Texans a look at its Midnight air taxi at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, in Austin, starting on Thursday through Sunday, October 25.
Archer’s Texas network is the latest move in an increasingly busy air taxi field, which includes companies such as Joby Aviation, BETA Technologies, and others.
It’s been a couple of years since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officially cleared the taxis for takeoff, announcing a whole new category of aircraft and the first since the 1940s, allowing them to operate alongside airplanes and helicopters.
And though Archer has managed to stay in the news—it’s recently announced partnerships with military tech startups and has pulled off a series of flights over San Francisco Bay, among other things—investors appear to be more cautious about our high-flying future.
Shares of Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) have fallen significantly this year, down more than 54% year-to-date as of this writing. Fellow air-taxi company Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY) is down more than 68% over the same period.
