Overview
- U.S. regulators named eight winners for the Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, with projects led by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Texas, Utah, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, and the city of Albuquerque.
- Flight operations under the pilot could begin as early as summer 2026, with findings intended to shape future standards for integrating these aircraft into the National Airspace System.
- The FAA emphasized the program is not a shortcut to market, requiring participating aircraft to already be in the agency’s formal type‑certification process.
- Selected projects will trial urban air taxis, regional passenger routes, cargo and offshore missions, emergency response, and autonomous operations, including work at a Manhattan heliport, multi‑city corridors in Texas, Gulf of Mexico logistics, and autonomous testing in Albuquerque.
- Industry partners include Archer, BETA Technologies, Joby Aviation, Electra, Wisk, Ampaire, Elroy Air, and Reliable Robotics, and BETA’s CEO said selection could move its operations up by a year as several eVTOL stocks rose after the announcement.