Archer Aviation 的 FAA 认证进展 —— 投资者现在需要了解什么

Leo Sun, The Motley Fool

November 26, 2025 5 min read

Key Points

• The FAA could clear Archer Aviation's first commercial flights within the next few years.

• Its type certification could be difficult to complete, but the FAA's new eVTOL Integration Pilot Program could accelerate that process.

• Even if the FAA clears Archer's first flights, it still faces tough long-term challenges.

• 10 stocks we like better than Archer Aviation ›

Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) has been a divisive stock ever since it went public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in September 2021. The bulls expected the electric vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft maker to revolutionize short-range flights, but the bears believed it would struggle to ramp up its production and narrow its losses.

Archer's Midnight aircraft can carry a single pilot and four passengers, travel up to 100 miles on a single charge, and achieve a maximum speed of 150 miles per hour. It's promoting these drone-like aircraft as a greener, cheaper, and easier-to-land alternative to traditional helicopters.

However, Archer's future in the U.S. hinges on the Federal Aviation Administration's full approval of its commercial flights. Let's dig deeper into that closely watched certification process and see how it could help Archer's stock lift off over the next few years.

A brief history of Archer's business

Before Archer went public, it claimed it could produce 10 Midnight aircraft in 2024, 250 aircraft in 2025, 500 aircraft in 2026, and 650 aircraft in 2027. It claimed its revenue could surge from $42 million in 2024 to $3.44 billion in 2027 as it scaled up its business.

But like many other SPAC-backed start-ups, Archer overpromised and underdelivered. In 2024, it finally delivered its first test aircraft to the U.S. Air Force but didn't generate any meaningful revenue. As of this August, only six of its commercial aircraft were in production. Analysts don't expect it to generate any revenue this year as its net loss widens to $605 million.

That situation might seem grim, but Archer still has a massive backlog of $6 billion lined up with pending orders from big customers like United Airlines, Future Flight Global, Soracle, Ethiopian Airlines, Abu Dhabi Aviation, and the U.S. Air Force. Its top investor, Stellantis, will also help it manufacture its aircraft.

The FAA approval could be a game changer

Yet Archer's customers can't launch their first air taxi routes without the FAA's approval. Archer must obtain four separate FAA certifications: a maintenance and repair certificate, an air carrier and operator certificate, a type certification (which includes its final airworthiness criteria, compliance, and flight tests), and a production certification.