Technology

The Trump administration first signaled its support for the new aviation tech in June, when the president signed an executive order meant to cut “burdensome red tape” around the operation of drones, “flying cars,” and supersonic aircraft in the US. A plan released by the Biden administration in 2023 aimed to deploy air taxis by 2028, in time for the Los Angeles Olympics. Because eVTOLs are new, it has taken years for the companies that build them to receive full certifications from the federal government. The novel aircraft need new rules and safety standards, and have to go through several rounds of certifications before they can begin to carry paying passengers. None of the companies involved in the pilot projects have completed the full certification process. The pilot program “is focused on informing standards and future policy development and is not a mechanism to bypass certification requirements,” FAA spokesperson Donnell Evans wrote in a statement to WIRED. “Aircraft included in the partnership must already be going through the FAA’s formal type certification process.” The US aviation industry is trying to pull even with China, where the government has given homegrown firm EHang certifications to operate autonomous eVTOLs. The company says it will start by operating sightseeing flights in a few Chinese cities. Dubai plans to start providing air taxis in eVTOLs with Joby Aviation as early as this year.