Archer Aviation has agreed to acquire the master ground lease for Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles, California and repurpose it as a strategic air taxi network hub.
Hawthorne Airport, also known as Jack Northrop Field, is currently a public-use airport. The name comes from the founder of Northrop Aircraft, Jack Northrop, who founded the company in 1939. Northrop built and flew many classic airplanes, including the YB-35 flying wing, the P-61 Black Widow and F-89 Scorpion night fighters, and the T-38 Talon jet trainer.
Among other purposes, Archer plans to use the aerodrome as a hub for passenger operations before, during and after the 2028 Summer Olympics. The airfield is close to multiple major downtown destinations, including the SoFi Stadium, The Forum, Intuit Dome and downtown LA.
Archer recently deployed the company’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft in the UAE for test and demonstration flights and, separately, signed a deal with Korean Air for up to 100 aircraft.
The Midnight is a piloted aircraft designed to carry four passengers. Archer said that the Midnight “can perform rapid back-to-back trips with minimal charge time between flights,” adding that the eVTOL “has the potential to replace 60-minute commutes by car with 10-minute electric air taxi flights that are safe, sustainable, low-noise and cost-competitive with ground transportation.”
Archer has also announced a partnership with Soracle, a joint venture between Japan Airlines and Sumitomo that was established in June 2024 to build an advanced air mobility network in Japan to support eVTOL aircraft.
Source: Archer Aviation
