First Of It’s Kind: Aircraft Unveiled That’ll Provide Air Taxi Service for Olympics

Downtown L.A. Just Got A Glimpse Of Its Flying Future

This just in from our own neck of the woods: downtown Los Angeles got a very literal look at the future of getting around town.

Archer Aviation rolled out its Midnight electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft at L.A. LIVE on Aug. 24, complete with a newly unveiled Team USA livery. The display coincided with a bigger announcement from Archer and AEG: plans to develop what they say would become downtown Los Angeles’ first vertiport at the entertainment district.

And yes, this is directly connected to the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archer is the official air taxi provider of LA28 and Team USA, with its Midnight aircraft expected to play a role in moving spectators and guests around Los Angeles during the Games.

Midnight Is Built For Short Hops Over L.A. Traffic

Midnight is Archer’s piloted all-electric eVTOL aircraft, designed to carry up to four passengers. Rather than replacing commercial air travel, it is being positioned for short point-to-point trips around cities — the kind of journey that can become brutally slow once Los Angeles traffic enters the chat.

Archer’s goal for its planned Los Angeles network is to turn some trips that can take an hour or more on the ground into roughly 10-to-20-minute flights. The company says Midnight produces far less noise than a traditional helicopter and has zero operating emissions.

L.A. LIVE Could Become Downtown’s First Vertiport

The real infrastructure story is happening beneath the shiny aircraft. Archer and AEG say they have completed an initial feasibility study for a vertiport at L.A. LIVE, including reviews of land use, airspace, available power and community impact.

The next phase will look at the operational approach and guest experience. If the project moves forward as planned, the site would give passengers a downtown takeoff-and-landing point right beside Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Convention Center, Peacock Theater and the rest of the L.A. LIVE complex.

That matters for LA28 because the downtown zone is expected to host 18 Olympic and Paralympic sports. Archer has also previously discussed planned network locations around SoFi Stadium, USC and Hollywood Burbank, with Hawthorne Airport serving as a central operational hub.

For now, the L.A. LIVE vertiport remains a planned project rather than an operating passenger terminal. Archer is still working through the regulatory, infrastructure and operational steps necessary to put Midnight into broader U.S. service.

But seeing the aircraft sitting in downtown Los Angeles makes the idea feel considerably less sci-fi than it did even a few years ago. LA traffic, meet your possible airborne bypass.

Watch Archer’s Midnight Air Taxi Unveiled At L.A. LIVE

The Aug. 24 report shows Archer Aviation’s Midnight aircraft on display at L.A. LIVE as plans move forward for a downtown vertiport ahead of LA28.

Sources: KTLA 5; Archer Aviation / AEG; and LA28.