Korean Air has placed an order for up to 100 of electric plane manufacturer Archer Aviation’s Midnight electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

The deal comes after South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport announced in 2022 that eVTOL and urban air mobility adoption would be a priority for the Korean government.

The Seoul-based carrier said, “The first use cases will be for government applications.” The electric planes will be “deployed across multiple use cases…to address multiple national priorities across Korea.”

An eVTOL aircraft uses electric power to take off and land vertically, without the need for a runway. This makes an eVTOL vehicle suitable for urban air mobility and other applications. The technology combines elements of both helicopters and drones. The vast majority of eVTOL vehicles are quieter and more environmentally friendly than the fossil fuel-powered alternatives. Some can be autonomous.

The Midnight is a piloted aircraft designed to carry four passengers. Archer said that the Midnight “can perform rapid back-to-back trips with minimal charge time between flights,” adding that the eVTOL “has the potential to replace 60-minute commutes by car with 10-minute electric air taxi flights that are safe, sustainable, low-noise and cost-competitive with ground transportation.”

“This partnership with Archer will accelerate Korea’s leadership in next-generation air mobility,” said Jin Kyu Lim, SVP and Head of Korean Air’s Aerospace Division. “By combining Archer’s industry-leading eVTOL technology with Korean Air’s five decades of aerospace MRO and manufacturing expertise and strong commitment to innovation, we aim to lay the foundation for the next generation of air mobility in the Republic of Korea.”

Source: Archer Aviation