LA28 Olympics may launch flying taxis

Spectators could soar above the Los Angeles skies and escape the notorious traffic during the 2028 Olympic Games, if the organizers' plan goes through.

According to the BBC, the LA28 committee has announced a partnership with Archer Aviation to provide air taxis during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The company intends to use a fleet of aircraft to transport fans to and from the sports venues, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

Flying taxis are an old idea that failed to materialize at the 2024 Paris Olympics due to a lack of certification from aviation authorities. Archer has not yet been certified by the FAA, but hopes to receive that approval this year. Without it, the aircraft cannot be used commercially.

If certified in time, the ten- to twenty-minute trips will connect key Olympic destinations. The price is expected to be comparable to a luxury Uber ride.

Archer's "Midnight" aircraft, which can carry up to four people, is part of the "eVTOL" category, or electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles. It has twelve engines, emits less noise and pollution than a traditional helicopter, and will be piloted.

Backed by Boeing and United Airlines, Archer aims to introduce this technology as a solution to traffic congestion in busy cities. The company sees the LA28 as an opportunity to publicly introduce these short urban flights.

The British government, by comparison, has projected the first air taxi flights in the United Kingdom by 2026.

Los Angeles, which previously hosted the Games in 1932 and 1984, has announced that cars will not be allowed during LA28, an ambitious decision, especially after the failure to expand its public transportation system.