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Los Angeles

CA, US
#1 OF 25
LIVE·Data as of May 21, 2026·AIS · Methodology v1.3·Sources: FKB · MCS · OID · RPL · FPIS·Sourced from public records · Override audit trail available
95ADVANCEDManually reviewed · May 2, 2026
How is this scored? · See factor breakdown →Score history →
Dec '25Jan '26
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FRIENDLYBURDEN: HIGHSTATE LAWWX PARTIALPILOT PROGRAM1 VERTIPORT
SCORE BREAKDOWN
PILOT PROGRAM
15/15
VERTIPORT
15/15
Joby LAX Adjacent Vertiport permit filed
VERIFIED 2024-08
OPERATORS
15/15
Joby and Archer active or planning LA operations (Blade operations folded into Joby Aug 2025)
VERIFIED 2026-03
ZONING
15/15
REGULATORY
10/10
California Governor's Executive Order on Advanced Air Mobility
VERIFIED 2023-10
LEGISLATION
20/20
WEATHER
5/10
Major airport weather stations (LAX, BUR, SNA) provide regional coverage; no dedicated low-altitude AAM sensing deployed
VERIFIED 2026-03
FACTOR TRENDS
Factor trend analysis is available on Professional.
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REGULATORY LANDSCAPEPosture + Burden · two parallel axes
PostureFRIENDLYScoring · 10pts

Stance — how friendly state and municipal government posture is toward AAM infrastructure. Currently scored as a single weight in the AirIndex 7-factor model.

BurdenhighTracked · not yet scored

CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) review adds significant environmental documentation on top of FAA + state aviation approvals. Coastal Commission jurisdiction in coastal markets adds a third layer. Initial assessment pending verification.

First-pass assessment · pending credentialed-advisor verification
Burden measures process friction — documents, reviews, public notices, and time-to-approve. A state can be posture-friendly AND burden-heavy simultaneously (e.g., Florida has enacted UAM legislation but requires a 13-document packet for heliport approval). Methodology.
OPERATOR PRESENCE
✓ Detected · classifier-validated· Apr 26, 2026 · high confidence
Bay Area aviation company selected as official air taxi provider for LA Olympics, establishing operator presence in Los Angeles and confirming San Francisco base. — Bay Area aviation company selected as official air taxi provider for LA Olympics, confirming operator presence and expansion into Los Angeles market.
No specific operator catalogued in the structured registry yet — the score reflects this signal.See full signal stream →Primary source ↗
VERTIPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
LAX Adjacent VertiportPERMITTED
SITE TYPE
airport adjacent
PAD COUNT
4
CHARGING
Yes
PERMIT FILED
2024-08-15
EXPECTED OPEN
2026-06-01
33.9425, -118.4080
Archer Santa MonicaPLANNED
SITE TYPE
rooftop
PAD COUNT
2
CHARGING
Yes
EXPECTED OPEN
2027-01-01
34.0195, -118.4912
Joby DTLAPLANNED
SITE TYPE
rooftop
PAD COUNT
3
CHARGING
Yes
EXPECTED OPEN
2027-06-01
34.0407, -118.2468
AIR CORRIDORS
LAX – DTLAPROPOSED
LAX Adjacent → DTLA
DISTANCE
22 km
FLIGHT TIME
12 min
MAX ALT
1500 ft
Primary Joby launch corridor connecting LAX to downtown LA.
DETAILS →
LAX – Santa MonicaPROPOSED
LAX Adjacent → Santa Monica
DISTANCE
10 km
FLIGHT TIME
6 min
MAX ALT
1000 ft
Short coastal corridor for Archer Midnight operations.
DETAILS →
KEY MILESTONES
▶Joby first UAE point-to-point piloted flight (Nov 2025)
▶Joby acquires Blade passenger business (Aug 2025)
▶Archer completes Abu Dhabi Midnight flight tests
▶Joby/Archer targeting 2026 Dubai then LA commercial ops
▶CA UAM Task Force active
MARKET INTELLIGENCE

Primary US launch market for Joby and Archer. Joby targeting 2026 commercial launch in Dubai via 6-year exclusive RTA agreement (pre-commercial; first UAE point-to-point piloted flight Nov 2025). LA is the confirmed next US market after Dubai. Joby acquired Blade's passenger business (Aug 2025), consolidating LA operator presence under two brands. Archer completed Abu Dhabi Midnight flight test campaign. LA Metro actively planning vertiport integration with transit hubs.

ALERT SUBSCRIPTIONS
LAST UPDATED 2026-05-21← BACK TO MARKETS
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