Archer Aviation Inc. announced today plans to launch a Los Angeles air mobility network—seeking to change how Southern California residents and visitors commute, travel and spend their free time.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240808226371/en/
Image above depicts simulated Archer air taxi operations over Los Angeles (Photo: Business Wire)
The goal is for passengers to be able to go to a nearby vertiport, or vertical take-off and landing location, and then fly 10-20 minutes in Archer’s Midnight aircraft to their destination of choice within the network—saving hours versus sitting in traffic.
Archer’s planned network includes vertiports at key locations such as Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Orange County, Santa Monica, Hollywood Burbank, Long Beach and Van Nuys. Archer’s goal is to begin its LA network operations by as early as 2026.
As part of its network planning, Archer is coordinating with the Los Angeles Rams to collaborate on potential exclusive vertiports at Woodland Hills and at Hollywood Park, the near 300-acre district centered around the 3.1 million square-foot SoFi Stadium.
The University of Southern California is also engaged to be part of Archer’s planned LA network. Over the next two years, Archer and USC will develop plans for converting USC’s existing heliports for Midnight and other vertical take off and landing aircraft. USC’s ultimate goal is to offer visitors an easy, quick and sustainable way to get to and from its campus, sports facilities and hospitals in the future.
“This is a big moment for Archer. Establishing our LA network ahead of the global events that are coming to the region over the next four years is a milestone that will put Midnight on display for the whole world to see,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO of Archer. “LA is known for its horrendous traffic—our goal is to offer a safer, faster and sustainable alternative travel option.”
Midnight, Archer’s piloted, four-passenger electric aircraft, will play a crucial role in this network. Midnight is designed to offer passengers a sustainable, low-noise, and safe alternative to ground transportation:
- Travels at speeds up to 150 mph, turning hour-long ground commutes into minutes in the air
- Designed for back-to-back flights of 20-50 miles with minimal charge time in between
- 100x quieter than a helicopter at cruising altitudes
- Redundant systems across the aircraft allowing Archer to target similar levels of safety as commercial airliners
- Designed to carry a pilot, up to four passengers and carry-on luggage
Governor Gavin Newsom commented, “California is showing the world what’s possible when you embrace innovation, entrepreneurship and clean energy to help solve your biggest challenges. Homegrown companies like Archer Aviation are pioneering the next generation of zero-emission transportation that will help California cut pollution, clean our air and reduce traffic.”
“We are excited about the opportunity to bring Archer’s game-changing technology to Hollywood Park,” said Los Angeles Rams President Kevin Demoff. “This underscores our commitment to enhancing the guest experience as we continue to build this transformative global destination for sports and entertainment.”
This announcement complements Archer’s planned network in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as Archer’s recently announced relationships with Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. It also comes on the heels of major milestones in the form of a successful transition flight, certification to begin operating as a commercial airline and rapid progress on its manufacturing plant in Covington, GA.
About Archer
Archer is a leader in the electrification of aviation. We are designing and developing the key enabling technologies and aircraft that are necessary to power the next great transportation revolution. Our goal is for our proprietary technology to deliver unprecedented connectivity to the people and places across the most congested cities in the world. To learn more, visit www.archer.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward looking statements regarding Archer’s future business plans and goals, including statements regarding its aircraft performance, air taxi network buildout, including the entry into definitive agreements with respect to Archer’s planned partnerships, and the timing of Archer’s development, commercialization, and certification of its eVTOL aircraft. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors. The risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted are more fully detailed in Archer’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, available at www.sec.gov. In addition, please note that any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that Archer believes to be reasonable as of the date of this press release. Archer undertakes no obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events.
Source: Archer
Text: ArcherIR
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240808226371/en/