Los Angeles is notoriously congested, and with three events expected to draw millions of spectators from around the world — the World Cup in 2026, the Super Bowl in 2027, and the Olympics in 2028 — in the wings, Los Angeles officials are exploring a variety of new mobility solutions to address the congestion problem. But they're already falling behind: Most of the transportation infrastructure efforts planned for the Olympics won't be completed until 2028 or later.
Archer Aviation sees an opportunity in this gap.
The startup, which is developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, wants to leverage the slow pace of the public sector with a private-sector solution: an air taxi network in Los Angeles, launching in 2026, replacing two- to three-hour car trips with 10- to 20-minute air taxis.
Ahead of its second-quarter earnings report on Thursday, Archer announced locations for its vertical landing field network, which includes Los Angeles International Airport, University of Southern California, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Burbank, Van Nuys and Long Beach in Los Angeles County, and Orange County.
Archer is also partnering with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and the Los Angeles Rams football team to build a new vertical landing pad at SoFi Stadium, home to the World Cup, Super Bowl and select Olympic games. The vertical landing pad isn't scheduled to be operational until 2026, but Archer hopes to have it ready in time for the Olympics.
The Los Angeles announcement comes just weeks after Archer signed a memorandum of understanding with Kilroy Realty Corporation to position Kilroy Oyster Point, a 50-acre waterfront campus in South San Francisco, as a key hub for the company's planned urban air mobility network for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Archer's chief commercial officer, Nikhil Goel, told TechCrunch that much of the vertical take-off and landing site the company announced in Los Angeles on Thursday has already been built.
“I think Los Angeles has the most underused aviation infrastructure in the country. We have airports all over the city. We have helipads on rooftops that are not being used right now,” Goel said, noting that all Archer has to do is install the charging infrastructure and passenger facilities.
Archer Aviation plans to launch an eVTOL air taxi network in Los Angeles in 2026. Image courtesy of Archer Aviation
Archer's team chose the location based on data about how people currently move around Los Angeles. Archer recently partnered with Southwest Airlines, a deal that includes Archer accessing the airline's customer data to identify suitable locations for vertical takeoff and landing sites.
Goel said the Los Angeles launch, scheduled for 2026, will be phased. He said a “handful of aircraft” will probably operate one or two of the highest-value routes in the first year while Archer learns how to effectively implement technology, build great customer service and integrate with the communities it serves.
Archer hopes to begin commercial operations with limited test flights as soon as 2025 in six cities: San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In the meantime, the company is working hard to produce enough Midnight aircraft to enter service and receive the necessary certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Midnight eVTOL is a crewed, four-seater electric aircraft that can fly at speeds up to 150 mph and have a continuous flight range of 20 to 50 miles, and the company says it can charge in under 10 minutes between flights.
Archer is partnering with automaker Stellantis to build a production facility in Georgia that will build 650 planes per year starting in the fourth quarter of 2024. The startup is also building six pre-production aircraft at a smaller production plant in California.
Archer also must receive type certification and production certification from the FAA before it can go to market, the former certifying that the eVTOL design meets all regulatory safety standards, while the latter ensures that Archer's manufacturing process complies with the approved design and can produce an aircraft that is safe to operate.
“This whole thing is starting to feel very real. This plane is flying almost every day,” Goel said. “Not only have we made the first transition flight, but we've done 233 flights so far, with over 400 flights scheduled for the year. It's all starting to come together. This isn't Blade Runner anymore. This is real, and we're looking to start as early as 2026 and scale from there.”