New York, Jan 21, 2026, 10:58 a.m. EST — Regular session
- Archer Aviation shares rose slightly as the company announced a Serbia partnership tied to EXPO 2027 Belgrade
- Serbia has an option to buy up to 25 of Archer’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft
- Investors are watching for flight-test and certification progress, plus the next quarterly results window
Shares of Archer Aviation Inc. (ACHR) were up 0.1% at $8.66 on Wednesday after the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) maker announced a partnership with Serbia. The stock has traded between $8.62 and $8.97 so far in the session.
The deal lands as the air-taxi trade hunts for proof of demand that is more than a slide deck. For companies still building aircraft and chasing regulators, a government-backed showcase can matter almost as much as a purchase order.
It also speaks to timing. Investors have pushed the group around on two things: how quickly these aircraft clear certification and whether early launch plans turn into hard deliveries — and cash.
Archer said Serbia selected it as the country’s preferred air-taxi partner and agreed to showcase Archer’s Midnight aircraft, with an option to purchase up to 25 aircraft. The agreement was signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos and is tied to EXPO 2027 Belgrade, which runs from May through August 2027; the two sides also said they plan to explore work on industrialization, including rare-earth magnets and critical minerals used in batteries. Serbia’s finance minister Siniša Mali said the country wanted to “bring the first air taxis to Belgrade,” while Archer CEO Adam Goldstein called Serbia “another demand signal” for eVTOL aircraft. (Archer Aviation)
Needham analyst Chris Pierce said the option “adds to the order book,” but investors would likely care more about Archer showing the “full flight envelope” for Midnight — the full range of speeds and maneuvers it is designed to fly. Archer has been stacking public-private partnerships across international markets, and was named last year as the official air-taxi provider for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. (Reuters)
The competitive set is crowded and impatient. Joby Aviation and other rivals are also racing to lock in launch markets, suppliers and regulators, with little room for delays once the first pilots start flying test routes.
But the Serbia agreement is still an option, not a firm order, and it sits on top of the same hard problems: certification, manufacturing scale and funding. Any slip in testing or a slower-than-expected regulatory timetable can quickly turn “pipeline” into dead weight for the shares.
For now, traders will watch whether Archer adds more partners out of Davos and whether the stock can hold gains after a choppy start to the year. The next clear catalyst is Archer’s quarterly update window: Zacks expects the next earnings report around Feb. 26, though the company has not confirmed a date. (Zacks)
