Electric air taxis began flying real-world routes across North Texas on Thursday as Texas launched a three-year test program that could eventually carry passengers among Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston.
Joby Aviation began a weeklong campaign with its piloted, all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. The company plans flights through Monday around the Dallas-Fort Worth region, including a direct operation at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Weather and other conditions could change the schedule, Joby said.
Texas became the sixth location to begin operations under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program, known as eIPP. Federal officials, state leaders and industry representatives watched Joby’s S4 and BETA Technologies’ ALIA electric aircraft demonstrate their capabilities at Alliance Airport.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and TxDOT officials for the launch.
“Today marks another critical step in our work to reshape how people and products move faster and more efficiently,” Duffy said.
Initial flights carry no passengers
The Texas Department of Transportation launched Project Nexus after the DOT and FAA selected the proposal on March 9. Federal officials chose eight proposals spanning 26 states from more than 30 submissions. Texas’ industry partners include Archer Aviation, BETA, Joby and Wisk.
President Trump directed the transportation secretary, acting through the FAA, to establish eIPP in a June 2025 executive order.
TxDOT said the broader first phase will use traditional aircraft, such as helicopters and fixed-wing planes, to test routes and collect data across the state. Thursday’s kickoff also featured demonstrations of Joby’s and BETA’s electric aircraft. TxDOT said the initial flights will carry no passengers.
The program will advance in three phases. After route testing, TxDOT plans to examine medical and cargo flights, including the movement of critical supplies or organs for transplant between rural facilities and medical centers in Austin and San Antonio. The final phase envisions passenger air-taxi flights across the Texas Triangle.
“We’re proud to lead the way in transportation innovation as we look to find new ways to connect the people of Texas,” TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said.
Joby plans airport route tests
Joby scheduled a round trip from Alliance Airport to DFW Airport for Saturday. The aircraft is expected to enter DFW’s controlled airspace and land at DFW Corporate Aviation. Other planned missions include a round trip to Arlington and a route to Toyota Motor North America’s headquarters in Plano.
The company recently leased a 45,000-square-foot facility at Alliance Airport for its long-term North Texas operations.
Research into electric air taxis in North Texas airspace predates Project Nexus. A 2023 NASA-Joby simulation tested high-volume operations at DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field. NASA researchers later found that existing procedures could support 40 operations per hour when a route crossed a runway and up to 55 when it did not, under nominal simulated conditions.
Arlington has spent years preparing for electric air taxi operations, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Passenger service still requires federal approval
Joby said its aircraft has entered the fifth and final stage of FAA type certification. Future passenger flights through Project Nexus remain subject to FAA oversight and the applicable approvals.
A 2025 Federal Register notice says eIPP will end three years after the first pilot project becomes operational unless the transportation secretary extends it. The notice also says each participant will bear its own costs. Neither TxDOT nor the DOT provided a Project Nexus cost estimate in Thursday’s announcements.
Provided by Dallas Express
