The Federal Aviation Administration approved eight pilot programs allowing companies including Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, Joby Aviation, and Wisk to start widespread electric aircraft testing as early as this summer in a three-year initiative spanning 26 states.
The program is designed to ensure U.S. companies lead the way in next-gen aircraft used for personal travel, regional transportation, cargo logistics, and emergency medicine, Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in remarks Monday. The pilot program, known as the Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program, was announced last year through an executive order by President Donald Trump in an effort to speed up development of the futuristic aircraft.
Numerous electric vertical takeoff and landing companies have emerged in recent years with promises of launching urban air taxis and other regional electric aircraft. However, getting those aircraft into commercial operation takes years and hundreds of millions of dollars. The FAA must certify any new aircraft, a multi-year process. The pilot program will allow these companies to test their eVTOL aircraft even though they have not received full regulatory certification.
That accelerated timeline could bolster the efforts, and share prices, of many eVTOL companies such as 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 start aircraft operations one year earlier than anticipated. The company’s stock price popped nearly 12% Monday. Archer and Joby, which are also publicly traded, saw stock jumps as well.
Archer compared the eVTOL program to robotaxi testing and said it will help build trust and establish a playbook for safely scaling electric air taxis. The company, which is developing a four-passenger piloted eVTOL called Midnight, said it will also help prepare for air taxi operations in Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic Games. “These partnerships will help us better understand how to safely and efficiently integrate these aircraft into the National Airspace System,” FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau said. “The program will provide valuable operational experience that will inform the standards needed to enable safe Advanced Air Mobility operations.”
The FAA said it received 30 proposals. The pilot program requires companies to partner with state, local, tribal, or territorial governments. Projects cover several applications including urban air taxis and regional flight. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey partnered with Archer, Beta, Electra, and Joby to test operational concepts, including one based out of a Manhattan heliport. 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. A project led by Utah will test next-generation aircraft across the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountains, and the Plains of Oklahoma. Beta, Elroy Air, and others will test cargo and personnel transportation flights to energy industry locations in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi.
