Riyadh – Sharikat Mubasher: The Helicopter Company (THC), a Public Investment Fund–backed operator, signed an agreement with U.S. aerospace firm Archer Aviation and Red Sea Global (RSG) to begin testing electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Saudi Arabia.
The deal was announced during the Dubai Airshow and marks one of the Kingdom’s earliest steps toward adopting advanced air mobility technologies, as per a joint press release.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding, Archer — developer of the Midnight eVTOL aircraft — will work with THC and RSG to establish a testing framework that evaluates the aircraft’s performance, regulatory compliance, passenger acceptance, and operational feasibility in Saudi conditions. The partners will use RSG’s controlled airspace and infrastructure to run a structured sandbox program, positioning the developer’s destinations as potential early adopters of electric air mobility.
RSG will lead the testing phase to assess whether eVTOL operations can be integrated into its future tourism and transportation ecosystem. The collaboration also aims to support long-term innovation and explore large-scale deployment of the technology in the Kingdom.
Following the completion of the trials, the three parties will review the results and consider next steps toward broader commercial rollout. The initiative reinforces Saudi Arabia’s push toward cleaner, more efficient mobility solutions in line with Vision 2030.
