Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas: Archer Unveils Air Taxi Networks Across the Texas Triangle

Archer Aviation unveiled plans on Friday for electric air taxi networks in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Austin, the three corners of the Texas Triangle. The company said its all-electric Midnight aircraft would turn drives of 60 to 90 minutes into flights of 10 to 20 minutes between major airports, business districts and coastal destinations.

The Texas Triangle is home to more than 20 million people and several of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country, Archer said in its Business Wire release. Commuters in the three metros lose days each year in traffic, and the company put the cost of congestion to the state at billions of dollars in lost time, productivity and infrastructure.

"Texas is setting the bar for America's leadership in the next generation of aviation," said Adam Goldstein, founder and chief executive of Archer Aviation. "Our planned networks will make the benefits of electric air taxis real for Texans, trading hours in traffic for minutes in the air, while connecting the biggest airports, business districts and sporting hubs in ways that America's largest megaregion needs to grow."

Dallas-Fort Worth: six airports and Frisco Station

The planned Dallas-Fort Worth network would connect Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas Love Field, Addison Airport, Arlington Municipal Airport, Fort Worth Meacham International Airport and Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport with business hubs such as Frisco Station, in partnership with Hillwood, the firm founded by Ross Perot Jr. Frisco Station is a 242-acre mixed use development that surrounds The Star, the Dallas Cowboys world headquarters, with office space, homes, hotels and a health and wellness district.

Houston: airports, downtown and Galveston

In Houston, the planned network would link George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport and Sugar Land Regional Airport with the Thompson Hotel Helipad downtown and with Galveston. The company said the route would turn the hour-plus drive from the city core to the coast into a short flight.

Senator Ted Cruz backed the plan in the release. "The race to dominate next-generation aviation is moving faster than ever," Cruz said. "These three planned networks will not only allow Texans to reclaim their time but also strengthen American leadership in the skies."

Austin: the airport, COTA and a Grand Prix display

The Austin network would connect Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Austin Executive Airport with the F1 Circuit Helipad at the Circuit of the Americas, the home of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. Texans can see the aircraft before any route opens. Archer is displaying a Midnight at the Grand Prix from October 22 to 25, in the Fan Zone and the F1 Paddock.

What has to happen before anyone flies

These are planned networks, not operating services, and the release is clear on that point. Archer plans to fly in Los Angeles next, ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and it aims at planned operations in Texas under the White House eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, known as eIPP. The company said America's Consortium for Electric Skyways, launched by Archer, BETA and Macquarie Capital to electrify up to 250 air taxi sites across America, is working with the Texas Department of Transportation and state and local partners on charging infrastructure at airports and other sites to support the Texas eIPP program.

The announcement follows the Northern California leg of Archer's No Roads flight tour, which included multiple flights over the San Francisco Bay across seven cities in three days. The Texas plan is the company's biggest stated bet yet on a single state, and it lands in the three metros where Texas traffic is worst.