WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The first demonstration in Texas of regional air taxi flights was conducted by BETA Technologies with its ALIA electric aircraft.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy was in Texas Thursday to celebrate the state's first demonstration of its next-generation aircraft under the Department of Transportation's Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), making Texas the sixth location to launch under the Department's initiative.
USDOT has created one of the nation's largest real-world environments for testing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs), air taxis, and autonomous planes.
Data from the pilot projects will be used by the Federal Aviation Administration to develop new regulations that safely enable this futuristic technology at scale, DOT said in a press release.
Federal officials, industry stakeholders and state leaders gathered to watch the demonstrations. of BETA Technologies' ALIA electric aircraft and Joby Aviation's S4 eVTOL
'Under President Trump, we are unlocking the future of flight and empowering innovators to build and test these exciting aircraft here in the U.S.,' said Secretary Duffy. 'Today marks another critical step in our work to reshape how people and products move faster and more efficiently.'
The demonstrations at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport were the first in Texas sponsored under eIPP, which partnered BETA, Joby, and the Texas Department of Transportation to develop regional air taxi flights connecting Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and eventually Houston.
On Saturday, Joby Aviation's S4 eVTOL aircraft will fly a roundtrip flight from AFW to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to test flight operations between major airports.
TxDOT and other eIPP participants are planning additional test flights through the rest of the year.
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