U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and the Federal Aviation Administration announced on March 9 that eight proposals have been chosen for the new Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program. The initiative aims to test next-generation aircraft, known as eVTOLs, across the United States.
The program is intended to accelerate the safe integration of advanced air mobility aircraft into national airspace and help maintain American leadership in aviation innovation. Data from these pilot projects will be used by the FAA to develop regulations for safely enabling this technology at scale, with operations expected to begin by summer 2026.
The selected projects span 26 states and involve collaborations between leading aircraft manufacturers, operators, and state partners. Operational concepts include urban air taxi services, regional passenger transportation, cargo logistics networks, emergency medical response operations, autonomous flight technologies, and offshore transportation for the energy sector.
"Thanks to President Trump, the future of aviation is here — and it’s going to dramatically improve how people and products move," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. "Congratulations to the great American innovators behind each of these exciting pilot programs. Working together, we will ensure America leads the way in safely leveraging next-gen aircraft to radically redefine personal travel, regional transportation, cargo logistics, emergency medicine, and so much more."
FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau said: "These partnerships will help us better understand how to safely and efficiently integrate these aircraft into the National Airspace System. The program will provide valuable operational experience that will inform the standards needed to enable safe Advanced Air Mobility operations. We appreciate the strong interest reflected in the many proposals we received."
Projects were selected after a technical review process involving more than 30 proposals from across the country. Submissions were evaluated based on their potential to accelerate integration of advanced air mobility aircraft, diversity of operational concepts proposed, regulatory insights offered, experience in development or manufacturing of aircraft, and strength of partnerships among industry, academia, and government.
