As global cities pursue cleaner, faster, and more efficient mobility, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself at the forefront of next-generation transportation. In a key step toward integrating advanced air mobility into everyday travel, the Kingdom has announced a new collaboration aimed at bringing air taxi services closer to reality.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Archer Aviation, a US company specialising in vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, to introduce air taxi operations across Saudi Arabia.

The announcement was made during the CoMotion Global Summit at the Riyadh Financial Center, held under the theme “Urban Mobility: Innovation Without Limits.” The agreement supports GACA’s efforts to establish an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) ecosystem in alignment with the national AAM Roadmap and the aviation objectives outlined in the National Transport and Logistics Strategy.

The MoU marks a major milestone in the Kingdom’s broader ambition to adopt cutting-edge mobility and position its cities as global hubs for future transport technologies.

Under the partnership, GACA and Archer will work to refine and expand the regulatory framework for VTOL operations. This includes aligning with Federal Aviation Administration certification standards to ensure safety and enable a phased rollout of air taxi services.

Both sides will conduct pilot flights and proof-of-concept demonstrations to validate regulatory models, support infrastructure development, and build public readiness for this new mode of transport.

Captain Sulaiman bin Saleh Al-Muhaimidi, Executive Vice President of Aviation Safety and Environmental Sustainability at GACA, stated that collaboration with international partners is essential for enabling the safe integration of VTOL aircraft. He added that the initiative supports the advanced air mobility roadmap and strengthens the Kingdom’s position as a leader in next-generation air mobility.

Archer Founder and Chairman Adam Goldstein said, “The Kingdom is moving quickly to build a next-generation transportation system, and we are honored to work with the General Authority of Civil Aviation on this transformative effort. We look forward to supporting one of the Kingdom’s strategic goals: to be among the first markets globally to widely adopt vertical take-off and landing aircraft.”