Archer Aviation to Provide Air Taxi Service for 2028 LA Olympics
After air taxis failed to take off for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Archer is optimistic that it can successfully scale services for 2028.
Archer Aviation announced Thursday that it will provide air taxi services for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and for Team USA.
The company said its network plans for Los Angeles already include key venues for the Games, such as the Stadium in Inglewood and the University of Southern California's Coliseum. Archer added that it plans to operate in major areas for visitors, such as Los Angeles International Airport, Hollywood, Orange County, and Santa Monica.
The air taxi service will transport spectators and athletes, and will also be available to support emergency services and security.
Archer is still going through the certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration. Archer chief commercial officer Nikhil Goel told Skift that the company expects to receive FAA certification in 2026.
Recently, Archer announced that it is building an air taxi network in the New York area as part of a partnership with United Airlines. Archer is slated to operate flying taxis in Abu Dhabi this year.
Skift reported last month that investors are pouring billions into eVTOLs, short for electric vertical takeoff and landing. See: Flying Cars and Supersonic Jets: Silicon Valley's New Arms Race.
A Test for Archer
Given the regulatory hurdles, the Olympics could be an important test for Archer. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, flying taxi startup Volocopter failed to get regulatory approval and the service was met with intense pushback from local officials. Volocopter ended up filing for bankruptcy last year.
Goel said local officials in Los Angeles had been supportive of Archer's plans even before discussions for the Olympics. Archer already has partnerships with SoFi Stadium and USC.
'We've been working with LA officials for a long time thinking about how you go integrate urban air mobility in LA,' he said.
Goel added that he believed the Paris Olympics were too early to launch air taxi service. He said he expects that Archer will have the infrastructure in place to accommodate such a large scale event by 2028.
'We have always been targeting 2028 because it lines up with our flight test schedule, and it lines up with the certification schedule with the FAA,' Goel said. 'We felt like 2028 was a good year where we can confidently be at scale.'
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