Archer to buy California airport for $126 million to serve as LA air-taxi hub

Archer Aviation has signed agreements to acquire control of Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR) in Southern California for $126 million in cash, positioning the site as both an operations base for its planned Los Angeles air-taxi network and a testbed for artificial-intelligence-based aviation technologies. 

The 80-acre airport, also known as Jack Northrop Field, sits less than three miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and within minutes of SoFi Stadium, The Forum, Intuit Dome, and downtown Los Angeles. Archer said the property includes roughly 190,000 square feet of terminal, hangar, and office space. The deal remains subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval from the City of Hawthorne. 

Archer intends to make HHR its primary hub for commercial eVTOL operations in the Los Angeles area, including service during the 2028 Olympic Games in LA. The company also plans to use the airport as a development and demonstration site for AI-powered air-traffic and ground-operations management systems that it is designing with airline and technology partners. 

“This acquisition gives Archer a one-of-a-kind aviation asset in the heart of Los Angeles,” the company said in its announcement. “The facility will support our goal of bringing safe, quiet, and sustainable air mobility to one of the world’s most complex urban airspaces.” 

United Airlines, one of Archer’s early investors, praised the deal. “Archer’s trajectory validates our conviction that eVTOLs are part of the next generation of air traffic technology that will fundamentally reshape aviation,” said Michael Leskinen, United’s Chief Financial Officer, through United Airlines Ventures. “Their vision for an AI-enabled operations platform isn’t just about eVTOLs — it’s about leveraging technology to move people safely and efficiently in our most congested airspaces.” 

Archer is developing the Midnight eVTOL aircraft, which has recently expanded its flight-test program. The company said the Midnight completed a 55-mile piloted flight lasting 31 minutes, reaching 10,000 feet and speeds over 126 mph, as well as demonstration flights at the California International Airshow that drew tens of thousands of spectators. These milestones, Archer said, highlight the aircraft’s continued progress toward certification and commercial readiness. 

In addition to the airport acquisition, Archer reported that it had raised $650 million in new equity capital, bringing its total liquidity to more than $2 billion. Archer CEO Adam Goldstein said the company’s strengthened balance sheet and growing patent portfolio position it to lead the emerging urban air-mobility market. 

“The era of advanced aviation has arrived — not as a distant vision, but as a tangible reality,” Goldstein said. “At Archer, we are not waiting for the future. We are building it.” 

Archer also confirmed the completion of its Lilium patent portfolio acquisition, adding about 300 advanced-air-mobility patents covering ducted fans, high-voltage systems, flight controls, electric engines, and propeller technology. The company now holds more than 1,000 patents worldwide, one of the largest intellectual-property portfolios in the eVTOL sector. 

The company’s international expansion continues as well. Archer has begun test and demonstration flights in Abu Dhabi, part of its “Launch Edition” program in the United Arab Emirates, and is pursuing in-country certification of Midnight for commercial operations. It has also signed conditional partnership agreements with Korean Air and with Japan Airlines and Sumitomo’s Soracle venture in Tokyo and Osaka. 

Archer said it lost about $130 million in the third quarter of 2025, and after accounting adjustments, its operating loss was roughly $116 million. The company ended the quarter with about $1.6 billion in cash and short-term investments. For the final quarter of the year, Archer expects losses to range between $110 million and $140 million. The post Archer to buy California airport for $126 million to serve as LA air-taxi hub appeared first on AeroTime.

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