Air taxi network announced in Los Angeles
The City of Angels could soon sprout wings, following in the flight path of San Francisco, shaving hours from commute times
Archer Aviation has confirmed plans to begin using its Midnight light aircraft to ferry passengers around Los Angeles. The vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] vehicles will depart from vertiports before flying people to locations close to their destination for drop off.
Los Angeles International Airport [LAX], Santa Monica, Orange County, Hollywood Burbank, Van Nuys, and Long Beach have all been listed as sites for vertiports. The University of Southern California [USC] is collaborating on the project, helping Archer convert campus heliports into vertiports.
While currently still at the blueprint stage, it’s hoped operations could begin as early as 2026. Once active, the Midnight light aircraft will be able to travel at speeds of up to 150MPH on journeys between 20 and 50miles, running on renewable electricity.
The technology is gauged to be 100 times quieter than a helicopter, while safety levels are comparable to commercial airliners. A pilot, up to four passengers and carry on luggage can all fit on board.
‘California is showing the world what’s possible when you embrace innovation, entrepreneurship and clean energy to help solve your biggest challenges,’ said Gavin Newsom, Governor of California. “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.’
Archer has already announced plans to introduce a Midnight VTOL vehicle service around San Francisco and the Bay Area. Meanwhile, the firm also has confirmed relationships with Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. A recent transition flight was successfully completed and the company has now been certified to begin commercial operations.
Infotec recently interviewed Jeremy Howitt (Future Flight Campaign Lead at Snowdonia Aerospace Centre), Shazan Siddiqi (Senior Technology Analyst at IDTechEx) and John Goudie (Founder and CEO of SLiNK-TECH) about the development of eVTOL in the UK.
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Image: Dan V
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