Los Angeles, May 17 – Spectators attending the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles may be able to skip the city’s infamous traffic and fly to venues instead, as LA28, the Olympic organizing committee, partners with Archer Aviation to introduce an air taxi service for the Games.
The plan involves deploying a fleet of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft—dubbed Midnight—to shuttle fans between key Olympic and Paralympic venues. The aircraft, which can carry up to four passengers, are expected to offer 10- to 20-minute flights that operate similarly to helicopters but with reduced noise and emissions, the organizers said Thursday.
While Archer’s aircraft are not yet certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the company aims to secure Type Certification—required for commercial use—by the end of this year.
“We want to transform the way people get around Los Angeles and leave a legacy that shapes the future of transportation in America,” Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said in a statement. Trips would be booked through a mobile app, with fares expected to be comparable to a high-end Uber ride, Goldstein told the Los Angeles Times.
Flying taxis have long been viewed as a potential breakthrough in urban mobility, though regulatory and technological challenges—including battery capacity and airworthiness certification—have slowed their rollout. A similar initiative for the 2024 Paris Olympics failed to launch due to delays in European safety approvals.
Despite industry setbacks, Archer remains confident in launching operations in time for the Games. The Midnight aircraft is powered by 12 electric engines and propellers and is being designed to meet commercial airline safety standards, the company said.
The 2028 Summer Olympics mark the third time Los Angeles will host the Games, after 1932 and 1984. In a bold move, the city has pledged to go car-free during the event, despite earlier plans to expand local transit infrastructure being shelved.
The UK government has also signaled optimism about the sector, projecting in its 2024 Future of Flight action plan that flying taxis could be operating in British airspace by 2026.
