Financiers working in Steve Ross’ West Palm Beach office towers may soon have a new way to travel to Miami Gardens. Archer Aviation, a company based in San Jose, California, is partnering with Ross, chairman of Related Companies, to launch an air taxi network in South Florida.
Archer Aviation focuses on electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, also known as eVTOLs or air taxis. The company plans to establish hubs at several airports: Miami Executive Airport, Miami International Airport, Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Boca Raton Airport, Palm Beach International Airport and Stuart Witham Field Airport.
The service will also use helipads at Hard Rock Stadium and Apogee Golf Club—both owned by Ross. Additional vertiports are planned for West Palm Beach, the Magic City Innovation District in Miami’s Little Haiti and North Bay Village.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the longest routes in this planned network will take about 30 minutes. Archer intends to use its Midnight model aircraft for these trips. The Midnight can seat four passengers plus a pilot and has space for luggage. Pricing details have not been finalized. However, Melissa McCaffrey, Archer’s head of government affairs, said prices would be similar to high-end ride services like Uber Black. A trip from Miami to West Palm Beach typically costs about $200 using such services.
McCaffrey stated: “Pricing information isn’t yet available, but was compared to pricing for high-end ride services like Uber Black by Archer’s head of government affairs.” She added that from Miami to West Palm Beach “that’ll typically run about $200.”
The network aims to offer a solution for South Florida’s heavy traffic congestion.
The timeline for launching the service depends on approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has not yet certified Archer’s air taxis for commercial use. The FAA is reviewing eVTOL aircraft as a new category for the first time in nearly 80 years.
Archer is also planning similar air taxi networks in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Abu Dhabi.
Other companies are also entering the market in South Florida. Israeli eVTOL developer AIR began flight testing near West Palm Beach in September. One of its aircraft crashed during a test flight in October.
–– Kate Hinsche
