Archer Aviation and AEG plan to develop a vertiport at L.A. LIVE as Los Angeles prepares for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
LOS ANGELES — August 25, 2026 — Downtown Los Angeles could soon become part of a new transportation network that takes passengers above the city’s notoriously congested roads.
Archer Aviation and sports and entertainment company AEG have announced plans to develop a vertiport at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles, creating a central location for electric air taxis as the region prepares for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
According to Archer’s announcement, the companies entered into an exclusive multi-year partnership that would make Archer the exclusive air taxi provider for L.A. LIVE.
If completed as planned, the project would establish the first announced vertiport in downtown Los Angeles.
What is a vertiport?
A vertiport is essentially an arrival and departure facility designed for vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
Rather than relying on a traditional airport runway, Archer’s aircraft are designed to take off and land vertically, potentially allowing them to operate from facilities located closer to major destinations.
Archer plans to use its Midnight aircraft, a piloted, all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOL.
Midnight is designed to carry four passengers and perform short, back-to-back trips in and around congested metropolitan areas.
The company says its planned Los Angeles network could turn some trips that currently take an hour or more by road into flights of approximately 10 to 20 minutes.
L.A. LIVE would become a downtown air taxi hub
The proposed vertiport would give Archer a significant downtown location within the L.A. LIVE sports and entertainment district.
L.A. LIVE sits next to Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center and includes venues such as Peacock Theater, The Novo and the GRAMMY Museum.
The location could eventually connect downtown passengers with other points in Archer’s planned Southern California network.
Smart Cities Dive reported that Archer has already reached agreements involving locations including the University of Southern California, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Burbank Airport.
Archer also acquired control of Hawthorne Municipal Airport in 2025 as part of its Los Angeles strategy. The company plans to use the airport as a central operational hub for its regional air taxi network.
The proposed L.A. LIVE location would give that developing network something particularly important: a destination directly in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.
Air taxis and the 2028 Olympics
The timing is significant as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Archer was previously selected as the official air taxi provider of LA28 and Team USA, putting the company in position to showcase electric aviation technology to an international audience during the Games.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Archer and AEG have already completed an initial feasibility study examining issues including airspace, power availability, land use and potential effects on the surrounding community.
The project is now moving into another phase focused on operational design and the passenger experience.
The downtown location could be particularly relevant during LA28 because numerous Olympic and Paralympic events are scheduled to take place in and around downtown Los Angeles.
Archer’s larger network plans have included connections across the Los Angeles region, potentially allowing passengers to travel between major transportation, entertainment and sporting destinations without making the entire journey by road.
Could air taxis become part of everyday Los Angeles transportation?
The Olympics could provide an unusually visible opportunity to introduce air taxis to Los Angeles, but the longer-term question is whether the technology can develop into a practical transportation option after the Games are over.
Los Angeles’ geography and persistent traffic congestion have made the region a major target for companies developing alternative transportation systems.
Electric air taxis offer a different approach: instead of building another road or rail line, eVTOL companies envision networks of relatively small aircraft carrying passengers between strategically located vertiports.
Archer has been developing its Los Angeles plans for several years. In 2024, the company outlined a regional air taxi network that included proposed locations around Los Angeles International Airport, Orange County, Santa Monica, Hollywood Burbank Airport, Long Beach and Van Nuys.
Adding L.A. LIVE would bring the concept directly into downtown.
Significant work remains before networks like these can become a routine part of urban transportation. Aircraft certification, infrastructure, local approvals, airspace management and commercial operations all play roles in determining when and how passenger service can begin.
For now, the L.A. LIVE agreement provides another indication that preparations for the 2028 Games are extending beyond stadiums and sporting venues.
Los Angeles is also becoming a testing ground for what transportation in major American cities could look like in the decades ahead.
Sources: Archer Aviation, Smart Cities Dive, Los Angeles Times
