Getting to a Lakers or Kings game at Crypto.com Arena could soon mean skipping traffic entirely — by flying there instead
AEG and Archer Aviation announced a multiyear partnership Monday morning to build downtown L.A.’s first “vertiport,” a vertical takeoff and landing site for electric air taxis, at L.A. LIVE.
The idea: passengers could take a 10- to 20-minute flight on one of Archer’s Midnight air taxis instead of a two-hour drive through traffic.
The aircraft carry four passengers, hit speeds up to 150 mph, and produce far less noise and zero operating emissions compared to traditional helicopters.
To mark the announcement, Archer is displaying its Midnight aircraft and unveiling its Team USA livery at L.A. LIVE on Monday, with the plane on public display through Tuesday, August 25.
The downtown vertiport is part of a bigger buildout: Archer already has plans for hubs at SoFi Stadium, USC, LAX, Hollywood Burbank Airport, Santa Monica, and Orange County, with the newly acquired Hawthorne Airport serving as its central operations hub.
The timing supports Archer’s role as the Official Air Taxi Provider for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA, with the DTLA zone serving as a hub for 18 Olympic and Paralympic sports.
Whether Angelenos will actually be hopping flights to Crypto.com Arena instead of sitting on the 110 remains to be seen — but with LA28 approaching, the pressure to solve L.A.’s traffic problem has never been higher.
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