First electric air taxi test flights begin in US

Air taxi company Beta completes first test flights in U.S. government pilot program.

The highly anticipated multi-year eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) has officially commenced in the United States, launching its very first real-world operational flights.

Regulatory hurdles have forced many eVTOL makers to push back certification timelines and passenger flights.

The Amazaon-backed Beta was selected for seven of the eight testing programs launched by the FAA and Department of Transportation,said the flights transported manufactured organs from United Therapeutics between airports in Maryland and Virginia.

The flights totaled about 275 nautical miles.

Beta CEO Kyle Clark said in a release, “Today’s successful missions, set the stage for routine medical applications through electric flight at a much lower cost nationwide."

For years, the industry has touted flying cars as a solution to congested traffic, with medical, cargo and defense applications.

Shares of Beta have lost about half their value since the company’s initial public offering in November.

It is one of several electric air taxi makers racing to secure Federal Aviation Administration certification and to start flying passengers commercially while timelines have been pushed off as certification has proven difficult to achieve.

President Donald Trump’s eVTOL pilot program, launched through an executive order last year, brought an opportunity to speed up approval.

The program, spearheaded by the Department of Transportation and the FAA, spans eight projects across 26 states. Beta is the most active company, participating in seven of them.

The government initially said testing would begin this summer.

Beta’s eVTOL aircraft is expected to achieve certification in 2028. The company also makes a conventional takeoff and landing craft on track for certification in 2027.