It sounds like something straight out of The Jetsons, but L.A. could soon have flying taxis in its skyline. As the city gears up for the 2028 Olympic Games, efforts to rethink how people move around its notoriously congested streets are taking flight… Literally.
The Bay Area aerospace company, Archer, has just purchased Hawthorne Airport for over $120 million, with plans to turn it into the main hub for its air taxi network in SoCal, as stated in their most recent press release.
The site will serve as the launch point for the company’s fleet of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, battery-powered vehicles designed to whisk passengers across the region in a matter of minutes.
Hawthorne Airport sits near some of LA’s biggest entertainment venues, from SoFi Stadium to DTLA, making it an ideal base for shuttling visitors and athletes during the upcoming Olympics. The facility will also double as a testing ground for the company’s next generation of AI-driven aviation technologies, including systems that could eventually automate flight and ground operations.
Each aircraft, called Midnight, can carry up to four passengers and reach speeds of around 150mph, fast enough to turn an hour-long car ride into a ten-minute flight.