Test flights for electric aviation services like air taxis will soon be taking off across the state, including in Austin, following the Texas Department of Transportation’s selection for a Federal Aviation Administration pilot program this month.
The big picture
Under an executive order issued last year by President Donald Trump, the FAA is moving to advance aviation systems including unmanned drones and electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft.
The 2025 order called to establish a pilot program to test emerging eVTOL technology and push its “safe and lawful” deployment. After a public solicitation, the FAA on March 9 announced the selection of eight pilot projects across the country expected to kick off this summer.
Expanded eVTOL operations could include local air taxi service, regional passenger and cargo transportation, emergency medical response, and more. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the chosen projects will redefine aspects of travel and logistics, “dramatically” improving how people and products move.
“These partnerships will help us better understand how to safely and efficiently integrate these aircraft into the National Airspace System,” FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau said in a statement. “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.”
The project
Under the FAA pilot, TxDOT is coordinating with four aviation companies: Archer, BETA Technologies, Joby Aviation and Wisk Aero.
The partnership will see eVTOL air taxi flights and other services launch between Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston—known as the Texas Triangle—as well as rural communities around that area. The transportation department didn’t identify specific communities outside the major cities.
“The future of aviation is taking flight,” Sergio Roman, TxDOT emerging aviation tech director, said in a news release. “This is a first of its kind effort to safely integrate electric aircraft into U.S. airspace and puts Texas squarely in the center of the next generation of aviation as we work to improve safety and connectivity across the state.”
Wisk Aero’s aircraft and autonomous systems will be used in the TxDOT pilot program. (Courtesy Wisk Aero)The pilot, labeled Project Nexus, will begin later this year as part of a three-year process including:A first phase using existing airplanes and helicopters making test flights to evaluate air travel routesA second phase testing medical and cargo transportation between rural facilities and medical centers in Austin and San AntonioA final phases with eVTOL air taxi flights across the entire Texas Triangle”The goal of the regional network connecting Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston is to create a multi-state ‘System of Systems.’ Rather than isolated tests in a single city, TxDOT is building the infrastructure to handle the transition between urban, rural, and state airspace,” the department release stated.
Only existing infrastructure will be used initially, according to TxDOT spokesperson Adam Hammons, and Project Nexus will also consider future needs for the new aviation technology. TxDOT and the partnering aviation companies will host community outreach and feedback events as the program rolls out.
“This pilot project is a perfect example of how TxDOT is looking to innovate to help support the state’s transportation system and fulfill our mission of Connecting you with Texas. These innovations are helping the agency improve safety and provide congestion relief for Texans across the state,” Hammons said in an email.
A closer look
TxDOT’s program will have a footprint in Austin, but city officials had separately applied to the FAA pilot initiative last year after general planning for local eVTOL service began.
The city’s own eVTOL pilot proposal development was spearheaded by Austin-based LIFT Aircraft and wasn’t among the federal agency’s final selections. LIFT, several city departments, and representatives from both TxDOT and The University of Texas were involved in preparing that project outline.
“[LIFT] assembled the application after convening a large stakeholder working group to review and share feedback, but the proposal was largely by their (Lift) design,” a city spokesperson said in an email. “The City learned the proposal had not been accepted on March 9, 2026 when the Department of Transportation announced the specific projects moving forward. Since that project list was published, we have not yet been in contact with TxDOT about next steps.”
During a briefing to City Council last fall, Assistant City Manager Mike Rogers noted that Austin will need to plan for the “significant” local impact of eVTOL operations, including zoning considerations, infrastructure integration, and regulatory coordination with state and federal governments.
Austin officials said they expect to coordinate with private companies and other levels of government on eVTOL aircraft regulation. (Courtesy city of Austin)What TxDOT aviation partners are saying
Archer is a partner on TxDOT’s eVTOL pilot and projects in New York and Florida, which will involve its Midnight electric air taxi. A company release hailed the federal initiative as a “first-of-its-kind pathway” for the safe deployment of the first new commercial aircraft category in decades.
“This is the clearest sign yet from the White House, the FAA and the DOT that bringing air taxis to market in the United States is a real priority,” founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said. “We appreciate Secretary Duffy and Administrator Bedford’s leadership and are excited to bring Midnight to the skies of some of America’s largest cities.”
BETA’s partnership with TxDOT is one of several FAA pilots the aerospace company will be involved in, and its work in Texas will involve medical supply distribution and cargo logistics testing with other private entities. The company is now ready to build and deploy more aircraft, founder and CEO Kyle Clark said, and bring transportation access to more communities nationwide.
“For years, we’ve been building out our charge network, forging relationships with state [departments of transportation], and partnering with leading operators with this vision of [advanced air mobility] in mind,” Kristen Costello, BETA’s head of government and regulatory affairs, said in statement. “We look forward to bringing that vision to reality and applaud the FAA and U.S. Department of Transportation on this forward-leaning initiative.”
Archer’s Midnight electric air taxi will be part of the TxDOT pilot program. (Courtesy Archer)Electric air taxi developer Joby announced the inaugural flights of its first FAA-conforming aircraft days after the agency revealed its pilot project selections. The company will be working in several states including Texas, where it’ll support air taxi connections between the Texas Triangle cities. Founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt called the federal program a “defining moment for American innovation.”
“Instead of just reading about the future of flight, communities across America are going to be able to see it in the skies above their own cities this year,” Bevirt said in a statement. “Quiet, electric air taxis flying real routes are a powerful demonstration of American leadership in action, and proof that we’re building the next golden age of aviation right here in the U.S.”
Aviation company Wisk will use its aircraft and autonomous systems in the TxDOT project, helping to shape flight regulations and introducing the future of unmanned air travel in Texas, according to a news release.
“The insights we gather in Texas are not just limited to our aircraft or the state; we are validating the entire digital and physical ecosystem,” CEO Sebastien Vigneron said. “This program allows us to perform real-world operations that can be translated into FAA policy and regulations, ensuring that when Wisk launches our full commercial service, the regulatory environment is as ready as our aircraft.”