Dive Brief:
- Archer Aviation and AEG, the sports and entertainment company that owns and operates L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles, said Monday they would develop a vertiport at the venue.
- The air taxi company is developing a network of vertical takeoff and landing sites across LA, having already inked deals with the University of Southern California, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Burbank Airport. Last year, Archer acquired Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Los Angeles County to serve as its central operation hub for the region.
- Last year, the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games selected Archer Aviation as the official air taxi provider for the summer games to be held in Southern California. “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,” Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
Air taxi developers, led by Archer and Joby Aviation, are moving quickly toward commercial flights in multiple locations, backed by the Federal Aviation Administration’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. The New York City region, Florida, Texas and Utah cities are among the locations chosen by the FAA.
As part of the air taxi rollout, developers and partners are building the necessary supporting infrastructure, including vertiports and charging stations for the electric aircraft. Vertiports are specialized areas for vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, according to the FAA.
The two companies have completed the initial feasibility study for the L.A. Live site, including land-use and airspace reviews, power availability and community impact, according to a news release. The sports complex is home to the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, NHL's LA Kings and WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.
Beta Technologies will install the electric aviation charging equipment in a partnership with Archer and Macquarie Capital to build electric charging infrastructure at up to 250 U.S. air taxi sites over the next 10 years.
“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,” AEG Global Partnerships President and Chief Operating Officer Nick Baker said in a statement.
