Archer and United Airlines Form Joint eVTOL Advisory Committee to Support Archer’s Future Airline Operations

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  • The committee is a forum for United to share its expertise on maintenance and operational matters as Archer moves forward in its aircraft development process
  • The committee will advise on the development of systems and features intended to improve operations and other ideas to further the widespread adoption of urban air mobility (UAM) and eVTOL aircraft
  • This is another milestone in Archer’s ongoing relationship with United Airlines that began in February of 2021 when United signed an industry-first agreement to purchase, subject to United’s business and operating requirements, $1 billion of Archer’s aircraft, with an option for an additional $500 million of aircraft
  • United’s stellar track record in airline operations and its existing collaboration with Archer make it an ideal stakeholder to advise the company about the scope and build out of maintenance and operations plans
  • The committee’s co-chairs include Archer’s Vice President of Engineering and a member of United’s senior leadership in TechOps Strategy and Operations

Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR) and United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAL) have announced the creation of a joint eVTOL advisory committee. The committee is focused on advising on maintenance and operational concepts to recommend to Archer for its all-electric aircraft aimed at driving towards best-in-class operational standards in the emerging eVTOL industry.

The Committee is chaired by Archer’s Vice President of Engineering, Dave Dennison and United’s Mauricio Angel, United’s Managing Director, United Express TechOps Strategy and Operations. The following members of Archer and United round out the initial makeup of the committee:

  • Jason Onorati, United's Director of Maintenance Programs
  • Robert Bernard, United’s Sr. Manager Maintenance Programs
  • Brian Johnson, United’s Director of Materials
  • Monal Merchant, United’s Sr. Manager UAX Engines and Engineering
  • Edward Espiritu, United’s Sr. Manager United Airlines Ventures
  • Adam Goldstein, Archer’s CEO
  • Tom Muniz, Archer’s COO
  • Armando Chieffi, Archer’s Maintainability Lead

Each of the committee chairs bring proven experience in aviation operations to the group. The other committee members bring complementary skills in the areas of maintenance, customer satisfaction and fleet management.

“The formation of this advisory committee further demonstrates Archer’s commitment to building advanced infrastructure to support UAM at scale,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO of Archer. “The committee is set up to leverage United’s experience with industry-leading operating strategies in commercial aviation, a key tenet of our business strategy. We understand that the adoption of UAM is about more than just the certification of our aircraft. United’s operational experience here will be invaluable as we work towards delivering aerial ridesharing at scale.”

“At United, we’re proud to be expanding our collaboration with Archer with an advisory committee designed to focus on key operational strategies and electric aircraft performance needed to achieve our shared goal of sustainable urban air mobility, while addressing the scale and sophistication needed to operate successfully, and most importantly, delivering the high-quality user experience our customers require,” said Michael Leskinen, President of United Airlines Ventures. “Assembling this group of industry-leading talent, and harnessing the valuable insights it yields, will be a vital step in enabling consumer adoption of eVTOL.”

Over the long-term, Archer's goal is to work with United to create UAM fleet support leveraging logistics concepts and networks already in use thereby creating operational efficiencies.

Continue to follow along with Archer’s journey via www.archer.com.