Add The California Post on Google Los Angeles is getting its first planned downtown hub for electric air taxis as Archer Aviation and AEG announced plans Monday to develop a vertiport at L.A. LIVE ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The proposed vertiport would serve as a launch and landing site for Archer’s Midnight aircraft, an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle designed for short trips across urban areas.
The partnership makes Archer the exclusive air taxi provider for L.A. LIVE, AEG’s sprawling four-million-square-foot sports and entertainment district adjacent to Crypto.com Arena.
Archer CEO and founder Adam Goldstein described the project as a flagship addition to the company’s planned Los Angeles network.
“We see this as a one-of-a-kind opportunity to add a flagship downtown location to our planned Los Angeles air taxi network ahead of the LA28 Games,” Goldstein said.
The planned facility would become a key addition to Archer’s broader Los Angeles air taxi network, giving fans, athletes, artists and other visitors a potential way to travel directly to and from the downtown entertainment district without relying on the city’s notoriously congested roads.
Archer says its planned network is designed to cut trips across Los Angeles to roughly 10 to 20 minutes, including journeys that can take an hour or longer by car.
The company has previously announced plans for additional air taxi locations at SoFi Stadium, USC and Hollywood Burbank, while Hawthorne Airport is expected to serve as the network’s central operational hub.
The project is also being developed with the 2028 Games in mind. Archer is the Official Air Taxi Provider of LA28 and Team USA, while L.A. LIVE is expected to host 19 Olympic and Paralympic sports during the Games.
That could make the proposed downtown vertiport a potentially important piece of transportation infrastructure as Los Angeles prepares to accommodate millions of visitors for the international sporting event.
“We are thrilled to pursue this endeavor with Archer to enhance the fan experience around the major sports and live-entertainment events we host,” said Nick Baker, president and chief operating officer of AEG Global Partnerships.
“This is an ambitious project and exactly the kind of forward-thinking collaboration that blends infrastructure and technology in service of our fans, visitors, and the broader community around major sports and live-entertainment events hosted at L.A. LIVE.”
The companies have already completed an initial feasibility study examining land use, airspace, available power and potential community impacts. They are now reviewing operational plans and how passengers would use the facility.
The proposed vertiport is also expected to feature electric aviation chargers supplied by BETA as part of Archer’s ACES consortium, an effort aimed at establishing standardized charging infrastructure for air taxi operations.
Archer says its Midnight aircraft produces zero operating emissions and significantly less noise than conventional helicopters.
The aircraft also uses redundant systems as part of the company’s effort to achieve safety levels comparable to commercial airliners.
Archer and AEG will unveil a Midnight aircraft featuring a new “Team USA” Olympic livery at L.A. LIVE on Aug. 24. The aircraft will remain on public display through Aug. 25.
