Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Archer Aviation and sports and entertainment group AEG announced an agreement on August 24, 2026, to develop a vertiport at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles. Under the terms of the exclusive partnership, Archer will serve as the exclusive air taxi partner for the four-million-square-foot entertainment district.
The project partners have completed an initial feasibility study covering key parameters such as land use, airspace management, power availability, and community impact. A second phase examining operational procedures and guest experience is currently underway. However, neither company disclosed financial terms, a construction timeline, or a target entry-into-service date, and no municipal or Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approvals have been secured to date.
Infrastructure plans for the proposed site include charging hardware supplied by BETA Technologies under America’s Consortium for Electric Skyways (ACES), an initiative launched on July 16, 2026, by Archer, BETA, and Macquarie Capital. Additionally, Archer and AEG plan to display a Midnight aircraft featuring a 'Team USA' livery at L.A. LIVE from the morning of August 24 through August 25, 2026.
The planned L.A. LIVE facility is intended to join Archer's broader network across Los Angeles, which envisions Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR) as its central operational hub while connecting key regional locations including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), SoFi Stadium, and the University of Southern California. However, Archer's Midnight aircraft does not yet hold FAA type certification. In its second-quarter 2026 financial report published on August 10, Archer reported a net loss of $263.2 million and $1.56 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments, noting that it expects to begin Midnight test operations later in 2026 under the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.
