Air Taxis May Start Operations in 2025: FAA

The Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration building in Washington on July 21, 2007. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a plan on July 18 to start air taxi operations in the country as early as 2025—opening the pathway toward a futuristic mode of transportation within urban regions.

An air taxi is a flight service that uses small aircraft to transport people over short distances. They usually offer a small number of seats. Such flight services don’t need to rely on big airports but on small, local airports or similar takeoff sites. The airplanes’ small size and ability to launch and land vertically enables them to operate in dense cities—rapidly transporting people from one destination to another. Initial operations are expected to begin in the 2025–2028 timeframe, according to the FAA’s “Innovate28” plan (pdf), which details how air taxis can operate.

The Innovate28 plan addresses how the FAA and its partners intend to certify aircraft and pilots, manage airspace access, ensure pilot training, develop infrastructure, maintain security, and engage communities.

“This plan shows how all the pieces will come together, allowing the industry to scale with safety,” Deputy FAA Administrator Katie Thomson said, according to a July 18 press release.

One of the biggest advantages touted is that air taxis can offer a quick transportation solution in high-traffic regions. By issuing the Innovate28 implementation plan, the FAA has reportedly expressed confidence in the concept of air taxis.

There is already resistance to the idea of air taxis operating in cities. Some fear the possibility of accidents, while others are worried about being subjected to constant noise.

Privacy issues have also been raised, such as allowing taxis to fly over residential areas.

Implementing Innovate28

A transportation system that uses electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to move people or items by air is known as advanced air mobility (AAM) by the FAA. The Innovate28 plan details how AAM operations can be implemented.

According to the plan, pilots will be able to fly AAM aircraft by using predetermined flight schedules. FAA is considering only AAM operations with pilots onboard.

“AAM operators are expected to comply with existing communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) requirements for the airspace in which they will operate,” the implementation plan reads.

“The expectation is that the aircraft will operate from the surface to 4000 [feet] above ground level in urban and metropolitan areas, and in relatively close proximity to or directly on airports.”

AAM services will initially operate at existing commercial service airports, heliports, and general aviation airports. These locations may have to be modified to install charging stations and parking zones. As the proposed vehicles are electric, the power grid may need upgrading.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Transportation (DOT), NASA, and the Department of Energy are also involved in the project.

The DHS will determine the type of security to be implemented for AAM operations, while the FAA and Transportation Security Administration will evaluate cybersecurity requirements.

Challenges of Flying Cars

Bringing air taxi operations to life first requires such aircraft to be certified. Currently, the aircraft are only under development, with various companies engaged in building them. Such vehicles will contain multiple new technologies, systems, and components, each of which has to be tested and certified to FAA standards.

Traditional airplanes usually go through long certification delays. As such, it remains to be seen whether the air taxis, which currently don’t commercially exist, can meet the 2025–2028 target set by the FAA’s implementation plan.

Air taxi operations have been proposed before but failed to materialize. In 2017, Uber announced that it would kickstart air taxi passenger flights by 2020, when it instead sold its air taxi unit to Joby Aviation. Joby initially stated that it would begin commercial operations as early as 2023, which was later pushed to 2025.

Earlier this month, a flying car from mobility firm Alef Aeronautics was granted certification by federal regulators—the first time such a vehicle has received “legal approval to fly” from the government.

The Alef Model A flying car in a computer-generated image. (Courtesy of Alef Aeronautics)

“The Alef Model A aims to be the first flying car with both street driving and vertical takeoff capabilities. It is designed to fit within existing urban infrastructure for driving and parking,” the company stated.

The Model A can travel only up to 25 miles an hour on public roads. “The assumption is that if a driver needs a faster route, a driver will use Alef’s flight capabilities,” the company stated.

“Alef flying car offers a unique experience of flight in any direction (forward, backward, right, left, up, down, at an angle). It offers the ability to bypass the problematic areas on the ground, by flying over them. It offers a cinematic 180-degree plus view for [a] safe and enjoyable flight.”

The FAA’s Innovate28 plan comes a month after the DOT Office of Inspector General released an audit report (pdf) that found that “regulatory, management, and communication issues” have hindered the FAA’s progress in certifying AAM aircraft.

“Given their unique features, AAM aircraft do not fully fit into FAA’s existing airworthiness standards. For over 4 years, FAA made limited progress in determining which certification path to use,” the report reads.

“The Agency will likely continue to face challenges as it progresses through the certification process for AAM aircraft, including reviewing novel features and establishing new operational regulations.”