AEG, a sports and live entertainment company, and Archer Aviation have announced a collaboration to develop downtown Los Angeles’ first vertiport, a vertical takeoff and landing site for electric air taxis, at L.A. LIVE, AEG’s four-million-square-foot sports and entertainment district in downtown Los Angeles. The agreement, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, makes Archer the exclusive air taxi partner of L.A. LIVE.
L.A. LIVE is a sports and live entertainment district anchored by Peacock Theater, The Novo, Regal L.A. LIVE cinemas and the GRAMMY Museum, alongside restaurants, bars and hospitality venues that attract visitors for concerts, special events and entertainment. The district is adjacent to The Los Angeles Convention Center and AEG-owned Crypto.com Arena, the home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, the NHL’s LA Kings and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
The planned L.A. LIVE vertiport will add a downtown location to Archer’s previously announced Los Angeles network, providing fans, artists and visitors with the ability to travel to and from the district aboard Archer’s Midnight aircraft.
Designed for local, point-to-point urban air taxi travel, Archer’s planned Los Angeles network aims to enable journeys across the city in approximately 10 to 20 minutes aboard Midnight. The network is intended to provide an alternative to ground journeys that can take an hour or more.
Archer has previously announced plans for its network to include SoFi Stadium, USC and Hollywood Burbank, with the recently acquired Hawthorne Airport planned as the central operational hub. Midnight is designed to produce significantly less noise than a traditional helicopter and has zero operating emissions. The aircraft also incorporates redundant systems as Archer targets safety levels comparable with commercial airliners.
Nick Baker, President and Chief Operating Officer of AEG Global Partnerships, said the company is pleased to pursue the project with Archer to enhance the fan experience around major sports and live entertainment events. He described the project as a collaboration combining infrastructure and technology for fans, visitors and the broader community.
Adam Goldstein, Founder and CEO of Archer, said the partnership with AEG on the vertiport project at L.A. LIVE provides an opportunity to continue developing the infrastructure required to support all-electric flight across Southern California.
AEG and Archer have completed an initial feasibility study for the L.A. LIVE site covering land use and airspace reviews, power availability and community impact. The next phase is focused on the operational approach and guest experience as the companies work toward establishing the site as Los Angeles’ first downtown vertiport.
The site is planned to incorporate electric aviation chargers from BETA Technologies as part of the companies’ recently announced ACES consortium, which aims to develop a standardized charging foundation for scaling air taxi operations around major metropolitan areas.
Archer’s Planned Los Angeles Network
The partnership supports Archer’s preparations in Los Angeles as the Official Air Taxi Provider of the LA28 Games and Team USA. With the DTLA Zone scheduled to host 18 sports across the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the project positions L.A. LIVE and downtown Los Angeles as a showcase for urban air mobility innovation ahead of the Games.
To mark the partnership, Archer plans to unveil its Team USA livery with a display of its Midnight aircraft at L.A. LIVE on the morning of August 24 at 9:30 a.m. PT. The display is scheduled to remain open to the public through August 25.
Commenting on the expansion of Archer’s planned Los Angeles air taxi network, Adam Goldstein said the project provides an opportunity to add a flagship downtown location to the company’s planned network ahead of the LA28 Games.
