Blade founder and CEO Rob Wiesenthal discusses his company’s IPO through a SPAC deal.
Maybe the United Airlines folks have watched many reruns of “Jetsons” in quarantine.
United plans to purchase up to 200 fully electric “air taxis” – with the capacity for vertical take-off and landing – to transport customers to the airport quickly, safely and ideally with minimal impact on the environment.
The Chicago-based airline announced its intention to partner with Archer, an “air mobility company,” to commission the battery-powered aircraft by 2024. miles away, and at speeds of up to 240 miles per hour.
United Airlines announced its intention to partner with Archer, an “air mobility company,” to commission the battery-powered aircraft by 2024. (Jeff Ludes / Archer via AP)
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United’s CEO, Scott Kirby, hails the announcement as one of the airline’s umpteenth initiatives to decarbonise air travel.
“By working with Archer, United is showing the airline industry that now is the time to embrace cleaner, more efficient modes of transport,” Kirby said in a press release published Wednesday. “With the right technology, we can curb the impact of aircraft on the planet, but we need to identify the next generation of companies that will realize this early on and find ways to get them off the ground.”
| Ticker | Safety | Last | Change | Change% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HLDG. | 43.52 | -0.26 | -0.59% |
Archer is scheduled to unveil its first eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft in 2021, before going into production in 2023. will acquire up to 200 aircraft.
Archer is scheduled to unveil its first eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft in 2021 before going into production in 2023. (Jeff Ludes / Archer)
Archer has since disclosed that his orders from United are valued at $ 1 billion, with an option for another half a billion dollars, the Associated Press reported.
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The Palo Alto-based company also previously announced a merger with Atlas Crest Investment Corp. to form a new, publicly traded company. Archer and Atlas value the deal at $ 3.8 billion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.