PREVIEW

BY MARK WORGAN

Downtown Los Angeles is to get its first-ever ‘vertiport’ allowing air taxis to land, take off and ferry visitors to the 2028 Olympic Games.

The proposed vertical take-off and landing site would be built at L.A. LIVE, AEG's four-million-square-foot sports and entertainment district in the centre of the city.

The agreement, arranged by AEG Global Partnerships, and Archer Aviation means tourists will be able to fly to venues including the Peacock Theater, The Novo, Regal L.A. LIVE cinemas and the GRAMMY Museum, as well as restaurants, bars and hotels.

The vertiport will be next to the Los Angeles Convention Center and AEG-owned Crypto.com Arena, which hosts the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, the NHL's LA Kings and the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, as well as concerts and other major events.

The proposed L.A. LIVE site would become part of Archer's planned Los Angeles air taxi network, allowing fans, artists and visitors to travel to and from the district using the company's Midnight electric aircraft.

Archer says its proposed network is intended to offer point-to-point journeys across the city in between 10 and 20 minutes, replacing road journeys that can take an hour or more with short electric flights.

The company has previously announced plans for sites at SoFi Stadium, the University of Southern California and Hollywood Burbank. Hawthorne Airport, which Archer recently acquired, is intended to serve as the network's central operational hub.

“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, 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.”

Archer’s Founder and CEO, Adam Goldstein, added: “Working with AEG on an iconic project like this vertiport at L.A. LIVE gives us the opportunity to continue building the infrastructure needed for Southern California to lead in the next era of all-electric flight.”

Downtown LA is due to host 18 sports during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the companies say the project could position L.A. LIVE and downtown Los Angeles as a showcase for urban air mobility ahead of the event.

Commenting on the expansion of Archer’s planned LA air taxi network, Archer’s Founder and CEO, Adam Goldstein, said: “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.”