The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved eight pilot programs that will allow several companies, including Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, Joby Aviation, and Wisk to begin widespread testing of electric aircraft as early as this summer.
The three-year program, which will cover 26 states, is designed to ensure that American companies are at the forefront of future aircraft used for personal travel, regional transportation, cargo transportation and emergency medical care, Transportation Department Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday.
The test program, known as the Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program, was announced last year by an executive order from President Donald Trump in an effort to accelerate development of the future aircraft.
A number of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) companies have emerged in recent years with promises to launch city taxis and other electric regional aircraft. However, getting those planes into commercial operation takes years and hundreds of millions of dollars. The FAA must certify any new aircraft, which is a multi-year process.
The test program will allow these companies to test their eVTOL aircraft even though they have not yet received full regulatory certification.
That kind of accelerated timeline would bolster the efforts, and share prices, of many eVTOL companies like Archer, Beta, and Joby that have gone public in recent years.
Beta Technologies founder and CEO Kyle Clark said being selected for the program will allow the company to begin operational flights one year earlier than expected. The company’s stock price rose nearly 12% on Monday. Archer and Joby, also publicly traded, also saw the stock jump.
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Archer compared the eVTOL system to robotaxi testing and said it would help build trust and establish a playbook for safely testing electric air taxis. The company, which is developing a four-passenger eVTOL called Midnight, said it will also help prepare Los Angeles taxi operations for the 2028 Olympic Games.
“This partnership will help us better understand how to safely and efficiently integrate these aircraft into the National Airspace System,” FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau said in a prepared statement. “This program will provide valuable operational information that will inform the standards needed to enable the safe operation of Advanced Air Mobility. We appreciate the strong interest shown in the many proposals we received.”
The FAA said it received 30 proposals.
These companies do not travel alone, however. The pilot program requires companies to partner with state, local, federal, or territorial governments.
The projects include several applications for electric aircraft, including urban air taxis and regional aircraft. For example, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey partnered with Archer, Beta, Electra, and Joby to test a dozen operational concepts, including one based on a Manhattan airport.
The Texas Department of Transportation will work with Archer, Beta, Joby, and Wisk to test regional flights connecting Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and eventually Houston. That plan will include the creation of air taxi networks that will expand from each city to extend the reach of the region, according to the DOT.
Some projects have widespread local impacts.
For example, a Utah-led project to test next-generation aircraft and operational concepts across the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, and Oklahoma Plains will test multiple next-generation aircraft and operational concepts. Another project, led by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, will involve 13 states in refurbishing regional airports across the country.
Other projects focus on logistics, medical response, and automation. Beta, Elroy Air, and others will test cargo and crew flights to the Gulf of America and energy industry areas in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi.
The departments of transportation in Florida, Louisiana, and North Carolina are also leading projects. The City of Albuquerque is partnering with Reliable Robotics to test autonomous operations.
