‘Official Air Taxi Provider’ of the 2028 Olympic Games Buys California Airport

A California startup wants to usher in the “flying-car†future. But for now, it’s starting with making sure that rich people don’t have to wait in traffic when they attend the 2028 Summer Olympics. The first step: Buying a small airport outside Los Angeles that is conveniently located near some large venues. 

In its third-quarter earnings report on Nov. 6, Santa Clara, CA-based Archer Aviation announced the purchase of the Hawthorne Airport in a $126 million deal. Hawthorne is located approximately three miles from the Los Angeles International Airport. 

The company plans to use the space as its hub for the LA Air Taxi, using its Midnight eVTOL aircraft, to Downtown LA and nearby venues such as SoFi Stadium, Intuit Dome, and The Forum. All three of those stadiums are in nearby Inglewood and are expected to host large events during the Olympic Games.

Archer said it would also use Hawthorne to test AI-powered aviation projects, including “AI-powered air traffic and ground operations management.†The company says it’s working on these systems with unnamed airline and technology partners.

Hawthorne Airport was the official base for SpaceX until August 2024, when the company’s headquarters relocated to nearby El Segundo. SpaceX, however, still leases space at the airport. The Boring Company was also headquartered at the Hawthorne facility until it was relocated to Austin between 2020 and 2023. It’s also been home to the Tesla Design Studio and used for reveals of the Tesla Semi and Cybertruck.

Archer is still seeking full approval from the Federal Aviation Administration on Midnight and reported during the third quarter that it conducted a 55-mile, 31-minute piloted flight and showed off some flights in public at October’s California International Air Show. In June, Archer was part of a White House Executive Order, “Unleashing Drone Dominance,†that included a promise to get the Midnight aircraft certified as early as next year.

In May, Archer was announced as the “Official Air Taxi Provider†of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA by the LA28 organizers. Archer said it planned to add more destinations to LAX, Orange County, Santa Monica, and Hollywood, although it gave no specific locations for where it plans to take off or land.

“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,†CEO and founder of Archer Aviation, Adam Goldstein, said in May.

While venues for the 2028 Games have more or less been finalized and centered around existing transit hubs in Los Angeles and nearby Long Beach, many projects still haven’t been completed, such as the LAX Automated People Mover that was originally scheduled to have been finished in 2023 and may not be ready by next June for the 2026 World Cup, according to a September report from the Los Angeles Times.