HAWTHORNE, Calif., November 12, 2025 – The City of Hawthorne proudly announces a major step forward in advancing economic development and transportation innovation through a new partnership at the Hawthorne Municipal Airport. The City Council is set to approve a new assignment of the Master Ground Lease and authorize the City Manager to complete the related agreements enabling Archer Aviation to assume a 75% leasehold interest.
This investment marks a significant milestone for Hawthorne, reinforcing the City’s status as a center for aerospace, technology, and mobility. The Partnership will bring infrastructure improvements, new job opportunities, and global visibility to the community.
“The Hawthorne Municipal Airport has long been a cornerstone of our city’s identity,” said Mayor Vargas. “This new partnership strengthens that legacy while positioning us for a future defined by innovation, sustainability, and opportunity. It’s about ensuring that the benefits of new technology directly uplift the people and businesses of Hawthorne.”
Located just three miles from SoFi Stadium, Kia Forum, and the soon-opening Intuit Dome, the Hawthorne Municipal Airport is ideally positioned to serve as a hub for advanced mobility during major events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The City of Hawthorne stands to gain on several fronts through this partnership:
Significant infrastructure investment at the airport;
New economic activity from aviation, hospitality, and related industries;
High-quality job creation;
Regional branding advantages through the World Cup and LA28.
By welcoming Archer Aviation to our community, we are unlocking new economic potential while ensuring that the City remains at the forefront of next-generation transportation, which extends beyond air mobility.
Archer Aviation plans to develop electric air taxi infrastructure at the airport. The company’s proximity to major venues and partnerships with the Los Angeles Rams and Hollywood Park likely position the City of Hawthorne as an instrumental player in the global events arena.
“Adam Goldstein said Archer is “hopeful” that Hawthorne will be selected for the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP)—a three-year initiative to study the operational potential and safety of electric aircraft. He predicted eIPP flights would begin next summer, which could allow Archer to conduct more testing in urban settings.
“Once you get…certain hours of maturity on the aircraft, you can start to fly and get permissions to fly in and around urban environments,” Goldstein said. The Archer CEO even floated the idea of opening the Hawthorne hub up to other electric air taxi developers, such as its charging partner Beta Technologies, making it a “centralized hub that everybody can use.”
“It could be a way to help bring the industry together and create a main point of interest for us all to use to really help unlock a city like Los Angeles,” Goldstein said.
“Initially outlined in June 2025 as part of the “Unleashing Drone Dominance” Executive Order, the DOT and FAA announced today a framework for cities across the U.S. to participate in the eIPP with OEMs and operators like Archer, unlocking a path to supervised, pre-certification trial operations of eVTOL aircraft in the U.S. as soon as next year.”
FAA’s Possible Timeline
Dec 11, 2026 – Proposals are due from the cities interesting in sponsoring an eVTOL company
March 3, 2026 – FAA announces up to five pilot project locations
eVTOL companies can start-up in a host city, such as Hawthorne, within three months of being being selected. Perhaps operating above neighborhoods by July, 2026.
Update 11/11/25 – A representative from Archer Aviation reached out to us and provided an overview of their plans. They promised to conduct future meetings in partnership with us.
As leaders of the Hawthorne Quiet Skies residents association we are shocked by Archer Aviation’s claim they have purchased Hawthorne Airport and did not seek any engagement with the residents living next to the airport.
We live in communities neighboring the airport and we’re confused and disappointed by what’s happening. Several of us have faithfully attended the City of Hawthorne’s Airport Communities Network meetings, including one last month, and this was never mentioned once.
We have questions for the Archer team and the City of Hawthorne and we’ve politely asked them for a meeting.
Here are a few questions:
Why did Archer announce it is acquiring the airport and expanding the runway without any public engagement and what is their plan for involving residents?
What exactly is Archer proposing when it states it wants Hawthorne Airport to be “a test bed for AI-powered aviation technologies”? Who would want eVTOL AI experiments over their homes? Federally funded research institutions such as Stanford state, “Despite the promise of deploying machine learning (ML) in future aviation systems, today’s ML methods remain poor at generalizing to unseen conditions and lack formal safety guarantees.”
While Archer claims eVTOLs reduce noise, we’ve learned never trust the aviation industry when it comes to talking about noise. What will Archer do if noise rises in our homes to such a degree residents cannot sleep or enjoy their own home? If you take away a family’s peace within their home, what will you give them?
The autonomous movement is reducing the number of local jobs as tech experts have warned. Is there an offsetting fund Archer can provide to train local students for jobs that will be available as technology takes other jobs away?
As we are rushing into this eVTOLs transportation revolution, there is significant public and governmental criticism that the FAA’s noise control process is unprepared, outdated, untrustworthy, and ineffective in addressing community concerns. The FAA and aviation industry have obfuscated and delayed for so long they’ve driven public trust into the ground. We’re entering this new era completely unprepared and with no clear pathway to success. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Our members have participated in the City of Hawthorne’s Communities Network roundtable for six years, we’ve helped with noise abatement studies that generated thousands of pages of analysis, we’ve collectively spent thousands of hours talking with the airport and FBO over the last eight years. In that time we’ve made zero progress in noise control and pollution reduction over our homes.
Without any public notice, input, or involvement, in 2014 Hawthorne Airport changed from a small private pilots airport to a commercial airport with bookable commercial flights.
Now, the airport is evolving again without any public input into the first ever eVTOL hub, a “Grand Central Station for air taxis.” The City and Fixed Base Operator who have run our roundtable for six years demonstrated they are unable to collaborate on addressing and reducing noise and public health concerns. It’s time for a new approach.
Hawthorne’s evolution into the nation’s first eVTOL hub is exciting, worth pursuing, and problematic if Archer does not engage with its neighbors, and here’s why:
Hawthorne Airport is the most constrained airport in the nation with residents next to it on three sides, according to airport consultants Coffman Associates. There are people across the street to the north and west sides, and a neighborhood to the east within two blocks. Because of how close we live, it is one of the most challenging airports in the nation when it comes to noise.
The City does not have a strong track record of planning and community relations. In the 1980s they considered buying homes across the street to the north to prepare for future airport growth but pulled back. In the 2010s, the city had an expansive new neighborhood built two blocks east of the airport. Then in 2014, the city converted the airport to a commercial service with the addition of Surf Air and Advanced Air. The city’s poor planning has gotten us into the land use mess we are in today.
The city’s 2021 noise report states there are 142 homes within Hawthorne Airport’s 65-70 db Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) and 21 homes in the 70-75 CNEL. They estimate 483 people are impacted by unhealthy levels of noise. Despite having this information for four years, the City has done nothing to notify those residents, offer assistance, or take steps to install noise abatement products according to the residents who live there.
The FAA’s continued reliance on the outdated 65 DNL threshold is untenable for evaluating new aircraft types such as eVTOLs. The agency’s own 2021 Neighborhood Environmental Survey (NES) confirmed that significant community annoyance occurs well below 65 DNL, yet the FAA has deferred updating its standards by placing the Noise Policy Review in a policy holding pattern pending recommendations from the still-unformed Aviation Noise Advisory Committee (ANAC). This delay does not absolve either the FAA or project sponsors—including airports proposing to introduce eVTOL operations—of their joint responsibility under NEPA to base environmental analyses on the best available scientific information. Both the FAA and airports must ensure that their reviews reflect the NES findings and current community response data rather than perpetuate a threshold the FAA itself has deemed inaccurate.
We think the revolution in autonomous air transportation is exciting and we support the California innovators working towards a better quality of life for all. But that’s the key – all of us need to participate in this process as respected, trusting, and collaborative partners.
Archer unfortunately inherits a challenging land use situation at Hawthorne Airport with dense residential neighborhoods needing urgent help.
Things cannot continue as they were. We’re open to starting a new relationship with Archer and we propose a new Hawthorne Airport noise and safety working group that is not led by the City of Hawthorne and Advanced Air. The new group would be the first of its kind in the nation, with industry and neighbors working together to plot a course to success for the airport’s users and people who live here.
Let’s revolutionize airport-neighborhood relations as we revolutionize air transportation. Your call Archer, we live here so you know where to find us.
Archer CEO Adam Goldstein’s comments on Hawthorne Airport
X post: “Hawthorne Airport is already a profitable enterprise. For Archer, it will become even more: the blueprint for a new class of urban aviation hubs around the world.
We envision Hawthorne as LA’s Grand Central Station for air taxis, the centerpiece of our Southern California network, where passengers will one day seamlessly fly above LA congestion on predictable five to fifteen minute routes between key destinations, including Hollywood, Downtown, and Orange County. It will also serve as Archer’s innovation testbed for next-generation aviation technologies including AI-driven air traffic and operations management, seamless passenger identification and security, and more.
The era of advanced aviation has arrived, not as a distant vision, but as a tangible reality. We’re not waiting for the future; we are building it – now.”
Q3 investors conference call: “Today Hawthorne Airport is already a profitable enterprise. For Archer it will become even more, the blueprint for a new class of urban aviation hubs around the world”
Acquisition Of Hawthorne Airport As Strategic Hub for Archer’s Planned LA Air Taxi Network and Testbed For AI-Powered Technologies Under Development
Archer has signed a series of definitive agreements to acquire control of a one-of-a-kind Los Angeles asset, Hawthorne Airport for $126M* in cash. The airport is located in the heart of L.A., sits on an 80-acre site and includes approximately 190,000 square feet of terminal, office and hangar facilities. The historic Hawthorne Airport was built in the 1920s and once helped shape Southern California’s aerospace legacy and is also known as Jack Northrop Field. It is strategically located less than three miles from LAX, and is the closest airport to some of the city’s biggest attractions — SoFi Stadium, The Forum, Intuit Dome, and Downtown L.A.
Archer plans for the airport to serve as its operational hub for its planned L.A. air taxi network operations, including serving a key role in the LA28 Olympics Games. Archer also plans to utilize the airport as an innovation testbed for the next-generation AI-powered aviation technologies that it is developing and planning to deploy with its airline and technology partners. This includes AI-powered air traffic and ground operations management, in addition to other key technologies.
The new Hawthorne facility represents a significant milestone in Skyryse’s journey toward the certification of Skyryse One™, the company’s flagship aircraft. This site will serve as Skyryse’s Part 145 Installation and Repair Center, playing a crucial role in the ongoing development, installation, and maintenance of Skyryse’s systems.
Skyryse®, the creator of SkyOS™, the world’s first universal operating system for flight, is excited to announce the opening of a new facility at Hawthorne Airport in California. This latest expansion follows closely on the heels of the recent launch of an additional facility in El Segundo, further expanding their presence in Southern California.
The new Hawthorne facility represents a significant milestone in Skyryse’s journey toward the certification of Skyryse One™, the company’s flagship aircraft. This site will serve as Skyryse’s Part 145 Installation and Repair Center, playing a crucial role in the ongoing development, installation, and maintenance of Skyryse’s systems.
“Expanding our operations to Hawthorne is a critical step in our mission to make aviation simpler and safer,” said Dr. Mark Groden, CEO of Skyryse. “This new facility will be instrumental in our efforts to certify Skyryse One and bring our transformative technology to the broader aviation industry.”
The Hawthorne site joins Skyryse’s growing campus, which now includes a headquarters and integration facility in El Segundo, CA, and a flight test center located in Camarillo, CA. Together, these facilities position Skyryse at the forefront of aviation innovation, driving the development of technologies that will redefine the future of flight.
To learn more about SkyOS, Skyryse One, and to see the latest career opportunities, please visit the Skyryse One page here.
Advanced Air, LLC Unveils Final Phase of Hangar Development Plans at Jet Center LA at Hawthorne Municipal Airport (KHHR)
Advanced Air, LLC is thrilled to announce the final phase of hangar development at Jet Center Los Angeles at Hawthorne Municipal Airport (KHHR), offering limited opportunities for aviation owners and investors. Scheduled for completion in late 2025, these hangars provide the perfect blend of convenience and functionality for private aircraft storage and commercial operations.
Hangar Availability: • Hangar A (45×40 | 1,800 SF): Sold • Hangar B (50×50 | 2,500 SF): One pending, one available • Hangar C (70×55 | 3,850 SF): Available • Hangar D (80×60 | 5,100 SF): Available • Hangar E (85×70 | 5,950 SF): Available • Hangar F (85×80 | 6,800 SF): Available • Hangar G (115×115 | 13,225 SF): Available • Hangar H (130×160 | 20,800 SF): Available
These twelve hangars feature the opportunity for customization, ensuring they meet the varied needs of aviation enthusiasts and operators.
Levi Stockton, President & CEO, emphasized the strategic benefits of this location, stating: “This development at Jet Center Los Angeles is incredibly opportunistic. It’s centrally located, just minutes from downtown Los Angeles, the Westside, and the new sports & entertainment venues, making it ideal for owners and operators looking to maximize convenience and minimize travel times.”
Donny Sandusky, Executive Vice President, added: “Being the final phase of development at the Hawthorne Airport, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for aviation owners and operators in Los Angeles. If you’re interested in customizing your hangar, we recommend you reach out before we break ground in early 2025.”
Purchase or long-term lease options are available.
About Advanced Air, LLC Advanced Air, LLC is a world-class aviation company based in Los Angeles, California, established in 2005. Our brands include Advanced Air, Advanced Air Charters, and Jet Center Los Angeles. Advanced Air offers commuter scheduled routes throughout the Southwestern United States. Advanced Air Charters provides on-demand and scheduled charter services, including a Charter Portal for tracking empty legs and preferred routes. Jet Center Los Angeles is our full-service FBO at Hawthorne Municipal Airport, covering 90 acres and 200,000 square feet of hangar space, offering FBO & fuel services, event spaces, and more. Learn more at www.flyadvancedair.com.
For more information about this hangar development or to schedule a consultation, please visit:
“George Braly of General Aviation Modifications Inc., the only U.S. company with an FAA-approved 100-octane fuel, said the bill will “almost certainly stop dead” early efforts to develop an unleaded market in California and other parts of the West. “Our position on the bill is that if it’s adopted into law, it will be impossible for anybody, GAMI or Swift or anybody, to deliver a high-octane unleaded fuel,”
Featuring neighbors from Hawthorne, Gardena, West Athens, Redondo Beach and more discussing on-going noise and pollution from the Hawthorne Airport. Plus, we’ll suggest ways you can provide your input to the FAA.
“I feel like we’re living in a war zone, they come in so incessantly. Coming in, taking off, coming in, taking off. It’s out of control,” says Gutierrez-Hedges.
The school is beneath the flight path from Van Nuys Airport, one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country. …Since the pandemic, it’s gotten busier as more wealthy people pay to avoid the close quarters of commercial air travel.
But those extra fumes are descending upon the people who live nearby.
“Just this morning, as we’re walking outside to take my kids to school and getting in the car, I was like, ‘Cover your nose! Run to the car! Get in the car! Shut the door!’ I couldn’t breathe because of the jet fumes,” says Guitierrez-Hedges.”
Hawthorne Quiet Skies 