US Aviation Authority approves eight pilot programmes for air taxis

The US aviation authority, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has approved eight pilot projects allowing prominent air taxi developers such as Archer, Beta Technologies, and Joby Aviation to commence intensive testing of their electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft this summer.

Archer midnight evtol flugtaxi — Archer Midnight air taxi
Image: Archer

The decision by the authority, which reports to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, could mark a breakthrough for the still-nascent air taxi industry. Bringing new aircraft to market typically takes several years and costs hundreds of millions of US dollars, largely thanks to the multi-year certification process required by the FAA.

However, the newly launched ‘Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program’ (eIPP) now allows participants to rigorously test their aircraft in operational conditions before FAA certification is granted. The programme stems from an executive order issued by former US President Donald Trump last year, enabling eVTOL companies to test their operational procedures before obtaining full regulatory approval. And even though the program bears the name eVTOL, it also covers eSTOL (Electric Short Takeoff and Landing), i.e., novel electric aircraft that require extremely short runways, as well as electric or hybrid-electric regional aircraft that require classic runways.

“This is the clearest sign yet from the White House, the FAA and the DOT that bringing air taxis to market in the United States is a real priority,” said Adam Goldstein, Founder and CEO of Archer. “We appreciate Secretary Duffy and Administrator Bedford’s leadership and are excited to bring Midnight to the skies of some of America’s largest cities.”

Potential to hasten rollout by one year

Similar to the robotaxi pilot programmes in the US, this initiative allows Archer to collaborate with federal agencies, states, and municipalities to build trust and create a roadmap for the safe scaling of electric air taxi operations nationwide, the company stated. Kyle Clark, Founder and CEO of Beta Technologies, added that being selected for the programme would enable the company to commence flight operations a year earlier than originally planned.

The FAA received over 30 applications for the new programme – and eight projects have now been approved. What unites these projects is that they are led not by the participating companies but by local authorities.

For example, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is collaborating with air taxi firms Archer, Beta Technologies, Electra, and Joby to test a dozen operational concepts, including one deployed from a helipad in Manhattan.

Projects span 26 states

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, in partnership with the NASAO AAM Multistate Collaborative, will work across 13 states to revive regional flights nationwide, including routes similar to those under the Essential Air Service programme. Beta Technologies and Electra are also involved in this effort.

Additional projects are being coordinated by the states of Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas, and Utah, as well as the city of Albuquerque in New Mexico. In total, the projects cover 26 states. The scope includes not only urban air taxi services but also regional passenger flights, emergency medical flights, offshore flights, and cargo transport – encompassing both piloted and autonomous operations.

techcrunch.com, faa.gov, archer.com (Statement A. Goldstein)