Washington throws cabinet support behind eVTOLs
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy became the first holder of his office to fly in a next-generation eVTOL aircraft, taking Beta Technologies’ Alia aloft at the company’s Burlington, Vermont headquarters on May 29. The flight coincided with the unveiling of the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) – eight projects spanning 26 states that will test air-taxi, regional passenger and cargo/medical applications with pre-certified aircraft. Beta was selected for seven of the eight projects, more than any other manufacturer.
That timeline is ambitious, however. None of the required Other Transaction Authority agreements had been signed as of June, each signature starts a 90-day clock before operations can begin pointing to late 2026 as the realistic start.
