From a new terminal unveiling soon to a live snake found on a United flight in October, there’s always something going on at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Now, we’re hearing about a new transportation option that looks to ease the commute time between NJ and NYC in future years. United Airlines along with aviation + aerospace company Archer Aviation recently announced plans to establish a ‘flying taxi’ route between United’s hub at EWR and New York City — using all-electric aircraft. Read on for what we know about these plans and what this means for locals.
The Details
The 10-minute flight route between the United hub at Newark Airport and Downtown Manhattan Heliport (located at 6 East River Piers in New York City) looks to cut travel time down as much as possible — especially during busy commute times when the route would normally take an hour or more, according to Patch. The companies are hoping to launch the route starting in 2025.
Read More: Newark Airport’s New Terminal: What We Know
The aircraft that will be used is an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle — also known as an eVTOL — that is currently in its development and certification phase at Archer. Called Midnight, the all-electric aircraft seats four passengers and would be the first of its kind in the eVTOL industry. According to Archer’s website, it will have the capacity to fly back-to-back flights of about 20 miles with 12 minutes of charge time in between and will be engineered for speeds of up to 150 miles per hour.
“Midnight is aiming to redefine what air travel can be: low cost, low noise, with the safety of commercial airlines,” it says on the website.
Per Aerospace America, it is not yet certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. With the purchase of 100 Archer-made eVTOL’s, United is the first customer to purchase the company’s aircraft.
This is the third investment that United Airlines has made in the electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle realm. According to Patch, The company gave a $10 million dollar deposit to Heart Aerospace for 100 of its ES-19 aircraft last year. United also invested $15 million dollars in Eve Air Mobility for a conditional purchase agreement of 200 eVTOL aircraft, with the option to buy 200 more, in September.
See More: The 7 Quickest Trips From Newark Airport
You can watch the unveiling of the Midnight aircraft here. Stay in-the-know with any future updates by following @themontclairgirl on Instagram and TikTok.
