Archer Aviation just made a major move befitting of a company named the Official Air Taxi Provider of the 2028 Olympics: they bought their own airport. In its third-quarter earnings report, The Santa Clara-based air taxi company announced a $126 million deal to acquire Hawthorne Airport—also known as Jack Northrop Field—and plans to turn it into the heart of its Los Angeles air mobility network.
Built in the 1920s, Hawthorne Airport helped shape Southern California’s aerospace legacy. Today, it sits on 80 acres featuring nearly 190,000 square feet of terminal, office and hangar space. But its biggest advantage is that it’s less than three miles from LAX and is the closest airfield to SoFi Stadium, The Forum, the Intuit Dome and downtown L.A. For a company planning to fly people over gridlock, this is prime real estate.
Archer plans to turn Hawthorne into the operational hub for its planned air taxi services during the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With traffic already a daily battle and Olympic congestion expected to be even worse, the company is offering a faster, cleaner form of transportation for VIPs, stakeholders, emergency services and security. Its Midnight aircraft—an electric, four-passenger eVTOL capable of hitting about 150 miles per hour—promises quick 10 to 20 minute hops between major hubs around the region.
While Midnight isn’t fully cleared for takeoff just yet, Archer is working toward full FAA certification. The company announced it has completed a 55-mile, 31-minute piloted flight and launched demo flights at October’s California International Air Show. In May, LA28 organizers named the company the Official Air Taxi Provider of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA. Archer says it plans to expand to more destinations beyond its Hawthorne hub, including LAX, Orange County, Santa Monica and Hollywood. For now, the company hasn’t named specific takeoff or landing spots, but the goal is to build a network that makes flying across L.A. commonplace.
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Hawthorne will also double as a testing ground for next-generation tech. Archer plans to test AI-powered air traffic and ground operations systems there, working closely with the FAA on how to safely integrate these new “Advanced Air Mobility” aircraft into crowded Los Angeles airspace.
“We want to transform the way people get around Los Angeles and leave a legacy that shapes the future of transportation in America,” said CEO Adam Goldstein in an official statement. “There’s no better time to do that than during the LA28 Games.”