Air taxis to ferry fans and VIPs to venues at 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fans and VIPs can fly their way to venues at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics with the first air taxis ever to be used at a games.

Archer Aviation’s piloted electric air taxi known as Midnight will ferry up to four passengers from a vertiport takeoff and landing hub near a major venue about 10 to 20 minutes to their destination within the company’s Los Angeles network.

The planned network includes vertiports at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum south of downtown, which are slated to share opening and closing ceremonies. Other locations are Los Angeles International Airport, Hollywood, Santa Monica and Orange County.

“We want to transform the way people get around Los Angeles and leave a legacy that shapes the future of transportation in America," Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of Archer Aviation, said in a statement Thursday. “There’s no better time to do that than during the LA28 Games.”

Archer says the air taxis produce less noise and emissions than a traditional helicopter. The eVTOL aircraft is built with redundant, fault-tolerant systems, including 12 total engines and propellers, allowing Archer to target certification with the FAA at similar levels of safety as commercial airliners. The air taxis are made at the company's manufacturing plants in San Jose, California, and Covington, Georgia.

As an official provider to the LA 2028 Olympics, Paralympics and Team USA, Archer also will use the air taxis to provide support for emergency services and security.

“Our vision is to fundamentally reimagine the Olympic and Paralympic Games experience," LA chairperson and president Casey Wasserman said. “This partnership represents an incredible opportunity to deliver something unprecedented.”

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AP Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games