Electric air taxis begin U.S. pilot flights this summer

Paul Sciarra, executive chairman of Joby Aviation, envisions a radical upgrade to airport travel: instead of a $100 cab ride from Midtown Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport that takes 45 minutes to two hours through traffic, travelers could make the same journey in less than 10 minutes by air taxi, viewing the landscape from more than 1,000 feet up. Electric air taxis are closer to reality than ever, thanks to new technology, competition among developers, and regulatory breakthroughs. Starting this summer, a series of federally sanctioned pilot projects will allow companies including Joby, Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, and Wisk Aero to test their aircraft in real-world conditions across the United States.

These aircraft, called eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing), combine traits of helicopters, airplanes, and drones. Joby's design uses six electric rotors that lift the aircraft vertically, then tilt sideways to propel it forward, generating a fraction of the noise of a traditional helicopter. The aircraft can carry four passengers and a pilot up to 100 miles at altitudes as low as 1,000 feet, roughly the height of the Chrysler Building. Joby, based in Santa Cruz, California, has a market cap of $7.6 billion and is backed by Toyota, Uber, and Delta Air Lines. The company will initially test cargo transport in New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Florida this year, with noncommercial passenger tests expected in the fall or winter.

Archer Aviation, of San Jose, operates a 12-rotor aircraft called the Midnight and has a market cap of $3.7 billion, backed by United Airlines. Adam Goldstein, Archer's founder and CEO, notes that Los Angeles is well-suited for air taxis because residents make many short trips—often under 20 miles—that take over an hour by car but could be completed much faster by air. Archer aims to begin commercial passenger operations by the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in July 2028. Beta Technologies, backed by Amazon and GE Aerospace, completed the first flights in the pilot program on July 10 in Maryland and Virginia, and is testing in seven of eight announced projects spanning 26 states. The Vermont-based company is initially focusing on an electric aircraft that takes off and lands like a conventional airplane while developing an eVTOL in parallel. Wisk Aero, a Boeing subsidiary focused on fully autonomous eVTOLs, will test its aircraft in a Texas project.

The federal program, officially called the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing and Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program (EIPP), runs for three years and allows selected companies to test aircraft before obtaining full Federal Aviation Administration certification. This approach aims to accelerate development while aircraft are going through the certification process. Public acceptance remains a challenge; some people are skeptical of boarding experimental aircraft. However, Andres Sheppard, an analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald, notes that eVTOLs are structurally safer than traditional helicopters because they have multiple independent rotors, whereas a traditional helicopter's single overhead rotor represents a single point of failure. Mattia Celli, a partner at Bain & Co., emphasizes that combustion-powered helicopters are more complex and require extensive maintenance, increasing risk, and distinguishes between "real safety" and "perceived safety."

Operational challenges loom as eVTOL fleets grow. Unlike jet airplanes flying above 35,000 feet with vast separation, air taxis will likely cruise no higher than 4,000 feet on short routes where space between aircraft could become tight. Savanthi Syth, a Raymond James analyst, warns that when "you're talking about having hundreds of these flying in a city," automated air traffic control systems become essential. Joby's 2025 acquisition of Blade Air Mobility, a helicopter transportation provider, gives the company hands-on experience with both air traffic control and commercial operations. Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal reports that Blade operated multiple heliports in New York and flew as many as 200 flights a day there this summer, allowing the company to drop helicopter fares to JFK to $195—about the cost of premium ride-share services like Uber Black. Analysts say eVTOL prices must fall to roughly standard ride-share levels to gain mass adoption.

Sciarra argues that air taxis could be transformative, potentially reshaping where people choose to live, how easily they reach jobs, and their access to doctors' offices and hospitals, in addition to making airport commutes more pleasant. "These are generational changes," he says. The pilot programs this summer will begin testing whether this vision can become reality.