Archer Aviation has reached an agreement to acquire Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles for $126m in cash.
The airport, also known as Jack Northrop Field, spans 80 acres and includes approximately 190,000ft² of terminal, office, and hangar space.
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Its location places it less than three miles from Los Angeles International Airport and near major city venues including SoFi Stadium and Downtown Los Angeles.
The site, which dates back to the 1920s, has a long-standing role in aerospace activity in Southern California.
Archer intends to establish Hawthorne Airport as an operational hub for its future air taxi network in Los Angeles.
Plans also include using the facility as a testbed for AI-based aviation technologies under development, such as air traffic and ground operations management.
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By GlobalDataArcher anticipates the airport will be used during the LA28 Olympic Games.
Furthermore, Archer has reported its third quarter 2025 financial results, with GAAP total operating expenses of $174.8m and a GAAP net loss of $129.9m.
On a non-GAAP basis, total operating expenses were $121.2m, and adjusted EBITDA was -$116.1m.
As of the end of the quarter, Archer held $1.64bn in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments.
Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said: “The era of advanced aviation has arrived—not as a distant vision, but as a tangible reality. At Archer, we are not waiting for the future; we are building it. The time to seize this transformative opportunity is now.”
Archer has also secured $650m in additional equity funding, increasing its total liquidity to more than $2bn.
The company has completed the purchase of Lilium’s portfolio of around 300 advanced air mobility patent assets for €18m ($20.6m) after a competitive process.
The assets cover areas including ducted fans, high-voltage systems, flight controls, electric engines and propellers. As a result, Archer’s patent portfolio now comprises over 1,000 global assets.
The company has continued testing its Midnight electric aircraft, recently achieving its longest piloted flight at 55 miles in 31 minutes at speeds over 126 miles per hour and reaching an altitude of 10,000ft.
Archer also conducted demonstration flights at the California International Airshow.
In recent months, the company began test and demonstration flights of Midnight aircraft in Abu Dhabi and started receiving payments linked to its Launch Edition programme in the UAE.
Archer is progressing through regulatory steps needed for certification to operate passenger flights in that country.
International commercial developments include Archer’s appointment as Korean Air’s exclusive air taxi partner in South Korea.
In Japan, its Midnight aircraft was selected for projects planned in Osaka and Tokyo through partnerships with Japan Airlines and Sumitomo’s joint venture Soracle.
