{"id":437089,"date":"2026-09-15T23:02:56","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T23:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/437089\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T23:02:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T23:02:56","slug":"air-taxi-pilot-program-takes-off-at-fort-worth-alliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/437089\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Taxi Pilot Program Takes Off at Fort Worth Alliance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"air<\/p>\n

A prototype of Joby Aviation\u2019s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft participates in a series of flight demonstrations at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. [Photo: Texas Department of Transportation]<\/p>\n

Texas just became the sixth state to test electric air taxis under a federal pilot program, with the first flights taking off last week at Fort Worth Alliance Airport.<\/p>\n

The goal? Launch air taxi service in Dallas-Fort Worth and elsewhere in Texas in 2029.<\/p>\n

\"Cessna<\/p>\n

A modified Cessna 208B Grand Caravan operated by Merlin Labs participates in the Project Nexus test flights. [Photo: Texas Department of Transportation]<\/p>\n

The Texas Department of Transportation kicked off its Project Nexus testing program with aircraft taking to the Dallas-Fort Worth skies from Sept. 10 to 14. Joby Aviation Inc., a developer of air taxis, carried out the five-day DFW test.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday marks another critical step in our work to reshape how people and products move for the better,\u201d U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Sept. 10 at a flight demonstration at Fort Worth Alliance.<\/p>\n

In March, the U.S. Department of Transportation chose TxDOT to lead a pilot program<\/a> for testing electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft.<\/p>\n

Building the future of aviation<\/p>\n

Project Nexus will initially fly aircraft to gather data, validate routes and work toward advanced air mobility. TxDOT said the first flights won\u2019t carry passengers.<\/p>\n

Companies and government agencies participating in the project envision regional air taxi service throughout the Texas Triangle. This area includes Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and San Antonio.<\/p>\n

Plano-based VertiPorts by Atlantic designs and builds takeoff-and-landing sites for airplane-helicopter hybrid aircraft. It\u2019s part of Project Nexus, supplying ground infrastructure that piloted eVTOL aircraft will need as testing ramps up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Texas, we don\u2019t wait for the future to arrive, we build it,\u201d U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said in a statement. \u201cThe Lone Star State is pushing the boundaries by testing the next generation of aircraft through Project Nexus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese technologies will connect communities, expand access to jobs and services, and strengthen supply chains,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cWhat starts in Texas will help shape the future of aviation throughout the entire country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Transformational moment in aviation\u2019<\/p>\n

Texas Transportation Commissioner Steven Alvis said in a statement that Project Nexus puts Texas at the forefront of \u201ca transformational moment in aviation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will help ensure our transportation system continues to meet the needs of a growing state and a growing economy,\u201d Alvis said.<\/p>\n

Texas has teamed up with aircraft manufacturers, operators and other stakeholders to advance a number of next-generation flight concepts. This includes urban air taxis, regional passenger service, cargo and logistics flights, emergency medical trips, and transportation for the energy sector, TxDOT said.<\/p>\n

\u201cProject Nexus is a first-of-its-kind opportunity to gather real-world data, improve safety and build a framework for how electric aircraft could one day connect people, goods and communities across the state,\u201d TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The FAA\u2019s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation\u2019s Project Nexus to analyze how electric air taxis would operate in commercial airspace. [Photo: Texas Department of Transportation]<\/p>\n

The Texas pilot will evolve in phases over the next three years, TxDOT said.<\/p>\n

The first phase involves the current test-flight program. The next phase will take on testing of medical and cargo logistics, such as transporting critical medical supplies or donor organs between urban medical centers and rural facilities. The third and final phase will feature air taxi flights carrying passengers around the Texas Triangle.<\/p>\n

Charging infrastructure and eVTOL operations<\/p>\n

In conjunction with Project Nexus, America\u2019s Consortium for Electric Skyways<\/a>, or ACES, said it will set up an eVTOL charging network in Texas. The consortium includes Archer Aviation, BETA Technologies and Macquarie Capital.<\/p>\n

ACES said it plans to electrify up to 250 air taxi sites across U.S. airports and metro areas over the next decade.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe future of aviation is taking flight in Texas,\u201d Sergio Roman, TxDOT\u2019s director of emerging aviation tech, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The pilot program \u201cis a first-of-its-kind effort to safely integrate electric aircraft into U.S. airspace,\u201d Roman said, \u201cand building the charging infrastructure to support those operations puts Texas squarely at the center of the next generation of aviation \u2014 improving safety and connectivity for communities across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joby and Archer ramp up in Texas<\/p>\n

Joby\u2019s recent test flights sent aircraft between Fort Worth Alliance and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. To support its work in North Texas, Joby recently signed a lease for 45,000 square feet<\/a> at the Alliance Air Trade Center in Haslet. The space serves as Joby\u2019s North Texas hub.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, San Jose, California-based Archer Aviation said it will begin laying the groundwork for operation of air taxis in Texas, Florida and New York. Archer also plans to conduct test flights in Los Angeles ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.<\/p>\n

\u201cTexas is preparing the way for America to lead the world in commercializing the next generation of aviation technologies, and infrastructure is how that push becomes real,\u201d Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\tR E A D\u00a0\u00a0 N E X T\t<\/p>\n

\t\"the<\/a><\/p>\n

The awards program spotlights visionaries, early adopters and trailblazers who are propelling innovation and shaping the future of North Texas tech.<\/p>\n

\t\"Marching<\/a><\/p>\n

After seven years in Houston, the Pepsi National Battle of the Bands showcase is relocating to Arlington\u2019s AT&T Stadium. Organizers say the move reflects the region\u2019s growing pull for cultural and sports programming and a chance to put HBCU marching bands\u2019 artistry, scholarship funding and decades of tradition in front of the region\u2019s business and alumni networks.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ranchbot, a provider of real-time, satellite-based technology for water monitoring for livestock producers, plans to use some of the funding to grow its agtech portfolio.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The deal pairs EagleNXT\u2019s fixed-wing surveillance drones with the startup\u2019s low-cost quadcopter platforms. CEO Bill Irby tells Dallas Innovates the company plans to grow its Allen workforce roughly tenfold as it ramps up production across its product lines.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The advanced manufacturing facility will assemble and test NVIDIA AI systems. It represents a $761 million investment and will employ close to 1,000 people by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Leaders from TRA, IBM, ORCA Computing and IonQ will gather in Dallas for an interactive discussion on the business applications of quantum technologies.<\/p>\n

\t\"Assorted<\/a><\/p>\n

Located at DFW\u2019s Terminal A, the Bonton Farms retail store will introduce travelers to the nonprofit\u2019s mission while selling local honey, handmade jams, goat milk soaps, grab-and-go food items, apparel and gifts. It is the organization\u2019s first location outside South Dallas.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The California-based company\u2019s 45,000-square-foot lease at Alliance Air Trade Center in Haslet is the first significant North Texas presence for the electric air taxi maker. Joby says it will test flights across Dallas-Fort Worth in September under the Federal Aviation Administration\u2019s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

New CBRE research points to a maturing tech workforce in North Texas, fueled partly by the Y\u2019all Street financial services boom.<\/p>\n

\t\"National<\/a><\/p>\n

The airline is opening its collection of more than 1,000 9\/11 artifacts to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. It also is supporting The Never Forget Fund and the planned National 9\/11 Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A prototype of Joby Aviation\u2019s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft participates in a series of flight demonstrations…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":437090,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[151467,65325,151468,151469,82611,82609,116,92236,118,117,82612,24730,98602,24468,151470,151471,7883,15129,271,151472],"class_list":["post-437089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-adam-goldstein","tag-advanced-air-mobility","tag-americas-consortium-for-electric-skyways","tag-archer-aviation","tag-beta-technologies","tag-evtol","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-alliance-airport","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news","tag-joby-aviation","tag-marc-williams","tag-project-nexus","tag-sean-duffy","tag-sergio-roman","tag-steven-alvis","tag-ted-cruz","tag-texas-triangle","tag-txdot","tag-vertiports-by-atlantic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/437090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}