In the United States partial use of electric air taxis in commercial flights has been approved

The United States launches a pilot program for electric taxis

Transport Minister Sean Duffy announced the start of the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) – a project that will allow several companies to conduct limited commercial flights with electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL).

What has been approved can test eight pilot projects in Florida, Manhattan, Texas, Utah, and other U.S. regions

Key points
1. Purpose of the program

* Enable American eVTOL manufacturers to operate passenger flights as well as cargo and logistics operations on a limited scale.

2. Policy context

* The program is part of President Trump’s executive order “Revealing American Supremacy in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.”
* It is expected that the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) will relax rules and accelerate certification of new drones and piloted electric aircraft.

3. Industry status

* China has been working on certifying next‑generation air taxis for commercial flights for almost three years.
* According to the minister’s forecasts, the first eVTOL flights could begin this summer.

4. Project selection

* Out of 30 applications, eight pilot programs were selected – two of them stand out because the FAA is actively developing future drones, as noted by the analytical resource New Atlas.

Thus, the United States takes a step toward integrating eVTOL into civil aviation while simplifying regulatory barriers and speeding up the development of technologies that could become the foundation for new transportation systems.