Archer Eyes Deploying Air Taxis In Major US Cities Backed By Government Push Amid Short Seller’s No-Fly Concerns

Archer has proposed public-private partnerships and operations across California, Texas, Florida, Georgia and New York.

• According to Archer, the FAA is expected to review the applications and announce selections in mid-2026.
• If selected, early operational activity will begin later in 2026, the company said.
• The announcement from Archer comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy unveiling a strategy to escalate advanced air mobility.

Shares of Archer Aviation fell nearly 5% on Wednesday after the air taxi-maker said that it has officially applied to launch air taxi operations in key American cities under the White House’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.

The company said that it completed multiple applications under the program led by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration to support early electric air taxi operations in U.S. cities as soon as next year.

Archer has proposed public-private partnerships and operations across California, Texas, Florida, Georgia and New York.

The company also applied to be the sole air taxi partner in Huntington Beach, California as it gears up to be the official air taxi provider of the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games.

“We’re past the question of ‘if’ and firmly into ‘when and how,’” said Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer. “The focus now is execution—building, deploying and flying these aircraft here in the United States.”

According to Archer, the FAA is expected to review the applications and announce selections in mid-2026. If selected, early operational activity will begin later in 2026, the company said.

Sean Duffy Provides Push

The announcement from Archer comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy unveiling a strategy to escalate advanced air mobility or AAM. The strategy and accompanying action plan outline 40 recommendations to safely and efficiently support AAM operations.

Advanced air mobility or AAM refers to a range of new aircraft types that typically operate below 5,000 feet to transport people and packages, such as Archer’s electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing vehicles. Archer noted that the new strategy establishes a framework to safely integrate eVTOLs into national airspace and enables companies to move from flight testing into early commercial operations.

Hunterbrook Reveals Short Position

Last month, Hunterbrook Capital revealed a short position in Archer after noting that its flagship Midnight electric air taxi never flew at the 2025 Dubai Airshow. The firm said that while Archer brought a model air taxi to the Dubai Airshow, it remained on the ground in one of the exhibition halls, and the company did not respond to its queries. Meanwhile, Archer’s rival Joby Aviation (JOBY) flew repeatedly at the Dubai Airshow, Hunterbrook noted.

How Did Stocktwits Users React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around ACHR stock fell from 'neutral' to ‘bearish’ territory over the past 24 hours, while message volume stayed at ‘low’ levels.

ACHR stock fell 22% this year and about 17% over the past 12 months.

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