On October 19, 2026, advanced air mobility developer Archer Aviation announced that it had completed a series of piloted flights over the San Francisco Bay area during the preceding weeks.
The flights, which started and ended at Oakland International Airport (OAK), involved a Midnight eVTOL prototype, as part of the so-called ‘No Roads’ tour.
Archer flew the Midnight aircraft from its base at Salinas, California, some 100 miles (160 km) south of Oakland, stopping along the way in Hollister, San Martin, San Jose, Mountain View and Hayward.
The eVTOL developer highlighted that, throughout this journey, its demonstrator managed to operate in increasingly more complex airspace environments.
In fact, according to Archer, the main purpose of this tour was to demonstrate the capability of the Midnight eVTOL to operate in an urban area with a busy air corridor, including three international airports: San Francisco International (SFO), San José International Airport (SJC) and the aforementioned Oakland International Airport.
Archer also expected the tour to afford residents a glimpse of the mobility advantages which eVTOL aircraft can provide in congested urban areas such as the Bay Area.
Archer’s arch-rival, Joby Aviation, conducted a series of similar demonstration flights over the Bay Area in March 2026.