Air taxi developer Archer Aviation says it finalized several key details related to the financing of its future electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturing plant in Covington, Georgia, and, as a result, has begun construction of the initial 350,000-square-foot facility of its larger production plant.
Archer announced in November it had selected the Covington site about 35 miles southeast of Atlanta to produce its Midnight air taxis. In January, it revealed it will partner with European automotive giant Stellanis to organize and oversee large-scale manufacturing of its eVTOLs.
Read more: Archer, car giant Stellantis ink major eVTOL air taxi production deal
Today Archer said in recent weeks, it had tied up various details pertaining to local incentives to locate the air taxi plant in Covington – a mix of financial support from regional and state authorities representing a whopping third of the eVTOL factory’s expected cost.
As a result, the company announced it began construction on March 2 of the first phase of the factory, an initial 350,000-square-foot facility capable of producing up to 650 aircraft per year.
“Our high-volume eVTOL aircraft manufacturing efforts took a huge leap forward today as we’ve now closed on the local incentive transaction and started construction on our ~350,000 square-foot facility in Covington, GA,” tweeted Archer CEO Adam Goldstein. “This industry-first facility is where @ArcherAviation and @Stellantis will join forces to manufacture Archer’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft. The support the State of Georgia and Newton County have provided us throughout this process reinforces why they’re the perfect partners. We can’t wait to bring new sustainable aviation jobs to Covington.”
Archer expects to attain certification of its Midnight eVTOL in 2024 and launch commercial air taxi services late that year, though more probably in 2025.
In its announcement today, the company said it plans to begin manufacturing activity with Stellanis in 2024 and, as demand and output increase, enlarge the Covington factory using the total 800,000 square feet of land at its disposal. A production center of that size, Archer says, will enable it to fulfill long-term production targets of up to 2,300 aircraft per year.
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Despite work on Archer’s air taxi plant having already been initiated following the finalization of its local incentive financing, the company plans to hold a ceremonial post-groundbreaking event at the site of the eVTOL facility in April.
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