Flying taxis have been a promise of the future for so long that many people stopped taking the timeline seriously. That changes this summer. The Federal Aviation Administration has selected eight projects spanning 26 states to begin operating electric air taxis and advanced electric aircraft in real commercial airspace, with flights set to begin by summer 2026. This is not a test over a closed course. Companies including Joby, Archer, Beta Technologies and Wisk will fly at actual airports with active air traffic control, running operations from urban passenger hops to cargo runs and emergency medical supply flights. The FAA received more than 30 proposals for the program and selected eight. One company said participation allows it to begin operations a full year earlier than it had planned, and its stock rose 12 percent the day the announcement came out.
The aircraft are electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles. They lift off and land like a helicopter but cruise on fixed wings, run on batteries, produce no direct emissions, and operate at a fraction of the noise level of conventional helicopters. One model carries four passengers at 150 miles per hour on urban hops. Another seats nine and can operate from a grass strip rather than a traditional runway. Some projects involve fully autonomous cargo flights with no pilot aboard. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is partnering with four companies to test a dozen operational concepts including flights from a Manhattan heliport. Texas is building regional air taxi networks linking Dallas, Austin and San Antonio with plans to eventually extend to Houston. For anyone who has watched this industry make promises for a decade while prototypes gathered footage on venture capital slide decks, this summer is the moment those aircraft leave the ground on real routes with real cargo and, before long, real passengers.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/24279586/air-taxis-flying-electric-car-vtol-evtol
