On Dec. 19, Archer Aviation Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif., U.S.) received the certificate of occupancy for its high-volume manufacturing facility, ARC, which is connected to the Covington Municipal Airport in Georgia. Archer is now working to complete the tooling load-in for the initial manufacturing line at this facility. Production is planned to begin in early 2025, with the goal of ramping to a rate of two aircraft per month by the end of the year. 

Archer built ARC in close partnership with Stellantis (Amsterdam, Netherlands) (read “Stellantis increases strategic shareholding...”) and the two companies are continuing to progress plans to mass-produce Archer’s Midnight aircraft, which will have a highly composites-intensive design. Stellantis is contributing capital, advanced manufacturing technology and expertise and experienced personnel with the goal of scaling this facility to 650 aircraft annually by 2030. 

“The completion of this facility is a testament to the state of the industry — shifting from R&D into commercialization. With construction on ARC now complete, our team is focused on the start of production planned for early next year. From there, it’s all about execution and scaling,” notes Adam Goldstein, Archer’s founder and CEO.

ARC is where Archer plans to produce its all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) which is designed to offer passengers a sustainable, low-noise and safe alternative to ground transportation in congested cities globally.