Here’s a sentence that’s likely never been seen before in human history: The 2028 Olympic Games have an official air taxi.
Archer Aviation, an electric air taxi company based in California, announced that it’s been named the Official Air Taxi Provider for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, as well as for the Paralympic Games and Team USA. Archer’s electric air taxis will be zipping around the skies in Southern California during and around the Olympics, shuttling VIPs, athletes, and anyone else who books a ride around various sites in the greater L.A. region. That includes Dodger Stadium, SoFi Stadium, Hollywood, and LAX airport.
Archer’s CEO, Adam Goldstein, tells Fast Company that when the Olympics finally do roll around in a few years, expect to see dozens of Archer’s “Midnight” aircraft quietly navigating the airspace. He also thinks it’s an excellent opportunity to show off some American aviation muscle.
“The current [presidential] administration wants to focus on things that can put America in a good light, and aviation is having a tough time right now. This will be like a bright, shining star,” Goldstein says.
Not only that, but Goldstein thinks it’ll be a great opportunity for potential customers to learn about and fall in love with air taxi technology. “It’s a good product. It’s clean, quiet, and affordable,” he says, and will also give people a needed break from L.A. traffic, which is notoriously bad. Archer’s aircraft will offer an alternative to helicopters, moving around the city at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. The air taxis can carry up to four passengers (plus a pilot).
“If there’s an event at Dodger Stadium and athletes need to get back to SoFi [Stadium] for a ceremony, that could mean sitting for two hours in traffic,” Goldstein says. The air taxi trip will cut that to mere minutes. With a few years to prepare, work will commence on getting the aircraft certified, the landing zones built, and other infrastructure up and running, he says.
“It’s a cool way to show that America has some pretty good horsepower in the aviation space,” says Goldstein.