Miami International (KMIA), Miami Executive (KTMB), and other local airports plan to begin operational trials of drones and eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxis.<\/p>\n
The Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) will install a new air traffic management system across ramp facilities at Miami Executive, creating a \u201clive testing ground\u201d that will study air taxis under \u201creal conditions,\u201d it said in a news release Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The pilot program will also cover Miami International and \u201csurrounding Miami-Dade County airports.\u201d In addition to KMIA and KTMB, MDAD operates Opa-Locka Executive (KOPF), Dade-Collier Training and Transition (KTNT), and Miami Homestead General Aviation (X51) airports.<\/p>\n
The pilot, called \u201cSafeLand,\u201d will be facilitated by Bell-Dancy Industries (BDI), a Los Angeles-based provider of autonomous infrastructure for advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s flagship platform<\/a>, ALTA (Autonomous Landing and Take-off Assistant), uses that infrastructure to create \u201cprotected airspaces\u201d specifically for AAM operations at airports, vertiports, distribution centers, offshore locations, and other sites. It is designed for commercial, medical, and military applications.<\/p>\n MDAD\u2019s news release describes SafeLand as a \u201cstructured pilot program that will stand up the physical and digital infrastructure necessary to better support air taxi operations in an urban aviation environment.\u201d The partners will begin operations with uncrewed drones to \u201cstress-test\u201d the system before moving to full-scale air taxi operations under FAA oversight.<\/p>\n Beyond ALTA\u2019s installation at Miami Executive ramp facilities, MDAD and BDI did not say how the system might be integrated at other airports.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are positioning Miami-Dade County and Miami International Airport as global leaders in innovation, connectivity, sustainability, and advanced mobility,\u201d said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. \u201cInitiatives like the \u2018SafeLand\u2019 program reflect our commitment to building a smarter, safer, and more resilient transportation ecosystem that expands opportunity, strengthens economic growth, and ensures every community benefits from the future of aviation.\u201d<\/p>\n Darrell Bell, BDI\u2019s CEO, said the pilot\u2019s goal is to create a \u201crepeatable model\u201d for other states.<\/p>\n The FAA envisions third-party providers of uncrewed aircraft traffic management (UTM) services, such as BDI, Thales, and ANRA Technologies, integrating widespread drone operations under a new Part 146, proposed in the agency\u2019s Part 108<\/a> rule. It is exploring similar systems<\/a> to manage larger air taxis, which would complement operating systems that their manufacturers are developing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe infrastructure we build here will serve as a reference point for cities around the world,\u201d Bell said in a statement.<\/p>\n San Jos\u00e9 Mineta International Airport (KSJC) in California announced its own SafeLand pilot<\/a> in December. The project also involves FBO Signature Aviation, which will install ALTA on its ramp at KSJC. Like the Miami pilot, the partners will begin with drones before advancing to larger eVTOL models.<\/p>\n San Jos\u00e9 Mineta International said the agreement makes SafeLand eligible for inclusion in the FAA\u2019s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program<\/a> (eIPP), which will permit real-world operations with precertified aircraft. American Air Advantage Consortium, the California state-sponsored group that applied to the eIPP, was not selected for the program in March. But BDI said it is a partner in multiple winning eIPP bids, which will allow SafeLand to be deployed more broadly.<\/p>\n Bell in Tuesday\u2019s release said the company is also \u201cexcited to bridge the gap between local communities\u201d in Texas.<\/p>\n Florida Invests in Air Taxis<\/p>\n Signature, the FBO working with BDI in California, has partnerships with air taxi manufacturers Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, Wisk Aero, and Eve Air Mobility, as well as a joint venture with vertiport developer UrbanV to build a nationwide AAM network. Florida is one of the four states planned to anchor that network.<\/p>\n Archer is also working with Skyports and Vertiports by Atlantic\u2014a subsidiary of Atlantic Aviation\u2014to develop vertiports in the Miami area.<\/p>\n Archer<\/a>, Wisk<\/a>, Hyundai\u2019s Supernal<\/a>, and the U.K.\u2019s Vertical Aerospace<\/a> are among the air taxi firms that have positioned Florida as a launch market. The state is laying the groundwork to accommodate all of them.<\/p>\n BDI is also an infrastructure partner for Suntrax, the state\u2019s dedicated test facility and proving ground for air taxis and the nation\u2019s first aerial AAM test track. The approximately one-mile track gives developers dedicated airspace and a controlled testing environment.<\/p>\n Suntrax comprises two vertiports that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said<\/a> in October are under construction. Both are expected to be operational this year. They are complemented by two nearly 20,000-square-foot hangars that can each store two aircraft; aircraft-agnostic charging stations; turf runway for short takeoff and landing (STOL); test aprons for measuring airflows and downwash; and a building that serves as a mock passenger lounge, simulating security, luggage management, boarding, and other operations.<\/p>\n MDAD said its SafeLand program will \u201cserve as direct support for this statewide effort\u201d by launching \u201coperational urban integration.\u201d Per Suntrax\u2019s vision plan<\/a>, AAM infrastructure will be \u201cfully activated and ready to enable passenger travel\u201d in Florida by the end of 2026.<\/p>\n The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in 2025 released a proposed aerial highway network<\/a> and phased plan to introduce intercity AAM operations statewide, from Pensacola to Key West.<\/p>\n Phase one calls for aerial corridors over Florida\u2019s Interstate 4 and along the coast from Miami to Port St. Lucie. Three more routes would connect Tampa and Naples, Miami and Key West, and Pensacola and Tallahassee. A second phase comprises routes connecting Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Orlando and Lake City, Tampa and Tallahassee, Jacksonville and Tallahassee, and traveling east and west out of Sebring.<\/p>\n