Federal Aviation Administration Awards Contracts for Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft

The US Department of Transportation has selected eight pilot projects for its Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, which will test electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and other advanced air mobility concepts. The program aims to generate operational data for the Federal Aviation Administration to develop future regulations. The selected projects cover a range of proposed uses, including urban air taxi service, regional passenger transportation, and cargo operations. The public may begin seeing flights under the program by summer 2026. The program received over 30 proposals from eVTOL makers, localities, and states, and will be evaluated based on their ability to accelerate advanced air mobility integration, breadth of proposed operations, potential regulatory value, experience in aircraft development or manufacturing, and strength of industry, academic, and government partnerships. This initiative was announced by the DOT on March 9, 2026, as part of the eIPP program. The FAA will use the operational data from the program to develop future regulations for advanced air mobility aircraft. The program is a significant step towards bringing eVTOL technology into the national airspace system.