Los Angeles Times

Air taxi services still pie in the sky

A few operations in U.S. are trying to get off the ground. L.A.’s prospects are murky.

When the idea of electric air taxis emerged, Los Angeles was vying to be one of the first cities that would utilize the technology to help people avoid its infamous bumper-to-bumper traffic. Some city transporta­tion officials expected the flying vehicles to be operationa­l by the 2028 Olympics.

But as air taxi companies have taken further steps toward a launch in other cities, such as Chicago, L.A.’s ambitions to open skyways all over the city have chilled.

Urban Movement Labs, a nonprofit started when Eric Garcetti was mayor to focus on transit technology, created a primer in 2022 for how cities could incorporat­e air mobility, including taxi services. But after a merger with Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, board member Francis Pollara said it’s no longer prioritizi­ng the technology.

“We were heavily involved in supporting Archer and the coalition of other air taxis services,” Pollara said about Urban Movement Labs’ involvemen­t. “That work will not be continued as part of the merger.”

The Los Angeles Department of Transporta­tion, City Planning office and the mayor’s office were part of the initial Advanced Air Mobility partnershi­p with Urban Movement Labs to think about how the technology could integrate into the city. But none of the agencies answered questions about when Angelenos could expect to see air taxi services here.

“As with any new technology, the city is working with industry and our department­s, and our priority is keeping Angelenos safe,” said Clara Karger, a spokespers­on for Mayor Karen Bass.

Air taxi boosters envision people gliding speedily over L.A.’s traffic-choked streets: a 60- to 90-minute car ride could take about 10 to 20 minutes in a drone-like vehicle from one so-called vertiport to another.

In order to launch in Los Angeles, an aircraft taxi service needs clearance from multiple jurisdicti­ons, including the Federal Aviation Administra­tion, which largely oversees airspace, operations and aircraft, and local and state agencies that set their own rules such as requiring permits and design plans for takeoff and landing zones. Although the

FAA has continued to greenlight air taxi operations, less movement has been made at the local and state levels.

Clint Harper, a community advocate in the advanced air mobility industry, said that licensing requiremen­ts in California are “robust” compared with other states and any air taxi service “may be subject to more stringent state oversight” before operations begin.

The FAA cleared Santa Clara electric air taxi company Archer last month to operate its aircraft commercial­ly ahead of an official public launch possibly in Newark, N.J., or Chicago, which the company said could be as early as 2025.

“This milestone reflects our team’s unwavering dedication to safety and operationa­l excellence as we stand up one of the world’s first electric air taxi services for communitie­s across the U.S. with a safe, sustainabl­e and low noise transporta­tion solution,” said Adam Goldstein, founder and chief executive of Archer.

The piloted four-passenger aircraft would make rapid trips with minimal downtime to charge. Archer said that it’s confirmed two planned routes with United Airlines at Chicago O’Hare Internatio­nal Airport to Vertiport Chicago in the Illinois Medical District, and Newark Liberty Internatio­nal Airport to Manhattan once its service, Midnight, is in service. The company has also identified five vertiport locations for service in the San Francisco Bay Area, which it also hopes to launch by 2025. But that goal is dependent on factors such as local and state rules and infrastruc­ture capability.

The company also recently signed an agreement with a private aviation terminal company to electrify more than 200 takeoff and landing sites across the country. It hopes to launch Archer in Los Angeles “as soon as possible” and is working with “infrastruc­ture partners,” but did not provide a timeline.

The FAA previously cleared Joby Aviation for testing operations. The Santa Cruz company, which also hopes to launch in 2025 and has created a pilot training course, has agreed to team up with private jet and aircraft company Clay Lacy Aviation to develop an electo tric air taxi charger, which the FAA previously identified as a requiremen­t for air taxi service plans, at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. The company said it doesn’t have a timeline for an Orange County launch but has been discussing plans with authoritie­s and partners in the region, including at John Wayne.

The FAA also recently authorized the company to develop in-house software that would include a consumer-friendly rider app. It does not have a timeline for an L.A. launch, but said it recently submitted a proposal Los Angeles Internatio­nal Airport “with a plan to support initial air taxi operations with minimal impact to existing airport infrastruc­ture and operations.”

The city’s Department of Transporta­tion said it’s working with mobility groups to plan for new transporta­tion technology and previously cautioned that it could take years to evaluate and address challenges related to new air technology services. Transit experts have said that equity, accessibil­ity, emissions and noise also remain key concerns to address.

“Nobody likes the idea of rich people flying over their heads, imparting their noise and their emissions on them while they’re stuck with traffic,” said Harper, who helped write the Urban Movement Labs primer.

Harper said there are opportunit­ies, such as emergency-use operations, for the technology to serve the broader public. But the process will take time.

In Paris, Verocopter will test its air taxi service during the Olympics, Transporta­tion Minister Patrice Vergriete recently told Le Parisien. The testing, which will not be for public use, is sure to be closely studied.