Archer, Joby Welcome Updated FAA Air Taxi Blueprint

Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, two of the world’s well-known eVTOL companies, praised the updated air taxi blueprints released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

The blueprint, developed by the U.S. government’s largest transportation agency together with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and industry stakeholders, says air taxis will operate “at a low rate” as helicopters do when they finally take to the skies.

The electric aircraft will fly on existing routes and utilize different types of infrastructure, such as helipads and early versions of vertiports. When flying, pilots will also be required to communicate with air traffic controllers, much like aircraft today.

When the number of operations increases, the FAA expects air taxis to fly more frequently in corridors between major airports and vertiports in city centers.

Adam Goldstein, Archer’s founder and CEO who aims to launch an air taxi service with United Airlines in 2025, lauded the FAA for unveiling a direct pathway to safely implementing eVTOLs. 

“The FAA and NASA have done a great job progressing their operational plans with increasing levels of detail to support the safe deployment of eVTOL aircraft into the national airspace. This is a strong signal that eVTOL aircraft are indeed coming to market and they’re coming fast,” he said on Twitter. 

Joby, the electric aircraft manufacturer, also applauded the move to provide a clear direction on how eVTOLs will be introduced. 

“We’re pleased to see the FAA release an updated blueprint for the safe integration of air taxis into the national airspace,” the Santa Cruz-based firm tweeted. 

Looking to the future, the FAA’s blueprint further revealed that air taxis will fly in corridors between major airports and vertiports situated in the city centers. The initial use of one-way paths could evolve over time into round trips, giving rise to the possibility of introducing more routes between vertiports. 

The growing adoption of electric aircraft will lead to an increase in the number of corridors used for eVTOL operations. Automation and real-time data sharing between aircraft will also develop and pave the way for more advances in aircraft technology.

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