Go from the airport to the city center in a few minutes, avoiding traffic, ring roads and motorways. It is the promise of electric flying taxis, a new frontier of air transport that could soon be tested in Italy too. Ita Airways and the American company Archer Aviation have announced a collaboration to develop air taxi services in our country, focusing on small electric aircraft capable of taking off and landing vertically, without the need for a traditional runway.
The objective is to create a network of air connections for short-distance travel, especially between airports and urban centres. The protagonist of the initiative is Midnight, the aircraft developed by Archer Aviation, a US company specializing in so-called advanced air mobility. Unlike traditional helicopters, Midnight uses all-electric propulsion. It is equipped with twelve engines and propellers and can carry four passengers in addition to the pilot.
The main advantage is the possibility of making relatively short journeys without depending on road infrastructure. According to the objectives declared by the manufacturer, journeys that take up to an hour by car could be completed in about ten minutes of flight. Air taxis are designed to operate from special platforms called vertiports, structures equipped for take-off, landing, battery charging and passenger management. Electric propulsion also eliminates direct emissions during flight and aims to reduce noise compared to conventional helicopters.
The Midnight recently demonstrated its ability to operate smoothly in complex urban airspace, completing several days of flights in the Bay Area, including numerous flights from Oakland to San Francisco’s Marina District in about 10 minutes.
With the agreement announced today, Ita Airways becomes the first European airline to join Archer’s global partner network, expanding its marketing strategy already underway in the United States, United Arab Emirates and other countries.
The first tests in Puglia
The project has already involved the Italian aeronautical authorities. In October 2025, the leaders of Enac, the National Civil Aviation Authority, met with representatives of ITA Airways, Archer Aviation and UrbanV, a company involved in the development of infrastructures for urban air mobility. One of the places identified for the experiments is the Grottaglie airport, in the province of Taranto. Enac has announced its willingness to use the Apulian airport as a test facility for the technical and operational checks necessary for the certification process. The collaboration was further deepened in April 2026, when an Enac delegation visited the Archer factories in the United States, examining the production processes and the development prospects of the aircraft also on the European market.
When will you be able to get on a flying taxi in Italy?
Before they can carry passengers, aircraft will have to obtain the required certifications, be integrated into the air traffic management system and have adequate infrastructure. Archer has already carried out experimental flights in the United States and is working on developing air taxi networks in several American cities. It also remains to be seen what the cost of the service will be for passengers. The technology could significantly reduce transfer times, but at least in the initial phase the limited availability of aircraft and the need for new infrastructure could make air taxis an alternative aimed primarily at those willing to pay more to save time.
This agreement with Archer represents an important step in evaluating how electric air taxi services can complement our network and improve connections between airports, city centers and other strategic destinations. As part of this process, we are exploring different solutions to identify the best product for our customers.
Joerg Eberhart, general manager of ITA Airways
But what will it be like to fly in an air taxi? Video of the test taken from the cockpit shows the spine-chilling view.