Flying taxis to connect Texas cities under new federal program

Electric flying taxis could start testing routes between Texas’ largest cities within the next three years, state transportation officials say.

A state plan to connect San Antonio, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston with “regional test flights” of the futuristic aircraft was recently accepted into a federal program designed to develop the use of the technology across the nation.

Collectively known as Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing, or eVTOL, the aircraft resemble giant drones and are designed to be self-flying. Several types are in testing and awaiting certification by the Federal Aviation Administration. They’re part of a larger discussion over the concept of Advanced Air Mobility which is reimagining the nation’s air network to integrate the new types of aircraft, work out how best to use them and develop the infrastructure needed to operate them safely.  

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the FAA announced this week they had selected a plan developed by the Texas Department of Transportation into the federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, along with seven other projects that span 25 states. 

“This is a first of its kind effort to safely integrate electric aircraft into U.S. airspace and puts Texas squarely in the center of the next generation of aviation,” Sergio Roman, director of office within TxDOT that works with emerging aviation technologies, said in a statement.

The program is evaluating urban air taxi services, regional passenger transportation, cargo and logistics work, emergency medical responses, autonomous flight technologies, and offshore and energy-sector transportation.

The first phase — which could begin as soon as June — will include flights with traditional helicopters and fixed-wing airplanes without passengers to “perform tests and validate the appropriate routes,” according to TxDOT. The second phase will test moving medical supplies, organs and cargo between “rural facilities and urban medical centers in Austin and San Antonio.” The final phase will include “air taxi” flights with passengers. TxDOT didn’t elaborate on the timing of each phase or at which point eVTOLs would be incorporated. 

“The goal of the regional network … is to create a multi-state ‘System of Systems,’” TxDOT said. ‘Rather than isolated tests in a single city, TxDOT is building the infrastructure to handle the transition between urban, rural, and state airspace.’

Port San Antonio, which includes Kelly Field, has been angling for years to be an air taxi hub. It is expected to play a big part in the new program, but details are still murky. 

A port official said the port “is proud to be part of the effort and it looks forward to working with other partners on this project.”

The Southwest Side tech campus recently signed a deal with SkyGrid LLC, a subsidiary of Boeing Co.’s Wisk Aero, on development of the region’s first vertiport.  

So far, the port has invested nearly $42 million — a combination of port money and grants from the TxDOT and the FAA — for airfield and airport upgrades, including the vertiport site about a block from the campus’ headquarters. It’s also commissioned a study to develop several routes across San Antonio.