“Imagine an Olympic event taking place in Dodger Stadium, and then having to get back to SoFi for the medal ceremony,” Archer Aviation CEO Adam Goldstein said in an interview with the LA Times. “How are you going to get there if you’re stuck in two hours [of] traffic?”
LA28 Chairperson and President Casey Wasserman stated that the partnership is an opportunity to deliver something unprecedented and reimagine the Olympic and Paralympic experience. The innovative take on transport is a chance not only to make it to the Olympic history books, but change Los Angeles’ crippling transportation problem.
“We want to transform the way people get around Los Angeles and leave a legacy that shapes the future of transportation in America. There’s no better time to do that than during the LA28 Games,” said Goldstein, who founded the company. “I can’t wait to see Midnight flying passengers over Los Angeles, emblazoned with the Team USA logo and the Olympic Rings and Paralympic Agitos.”
The company’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft will be in a vertiport take-off-and-landing hub near key venues, allowing Games spectators to take a 10-20 minute flight between sporting events. Archer’s planned network in LA includes the stadium in Inglewood and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and critical visitor hubs, including Los Angeles International Airport, Hollywood, Orange County, and Santa Monica.
Archer has already received clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to test its aircraft commercially ahead of an official public launch. The Californian company has also secured a design approval for its first hybrid heliport in the UAE, just months after Abu Dhabi signed on to be the first city to offer Archer’s air taxis.
LA28 is further exploring other car-free options between Olympic venues. Los Angeles County leaders are considering water taxis to transport fans between San Pedro and Long Beach, where multiple events will be hosted and ordered a feasibility study last week.
“If we’re serious about the 2028 Games being transit-first, we must make transit safe, accessible, reliable and fun for people, and we can’t only rely on our buses and trains,” said County Supervisor Janice Hahn to the LA Times. “[The water taxi] would give residents, workers and tourists an affordable alternative to driving and parking at these Games venues.”
