‘Flying Cars’ Could Officially Launch in the U.S. This Summer, Regulators Say

The aircraft could include taxi and emergency medical response services, regional transportation, and autonomous flights.

BY AVA LEVINSON, NEWS WRITER

An Archer Aviation eVTOL electric air taxi at the Paris Air Show in Paris, France, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (Photo by Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Monday that new aircraft likened to “flying cars” will be in the skies as early as June. The aircraft will be able to take off and land similar to helicopters, but will otherwise function like airplanes.

A three-year pilot program is set to launch this summer, where eight aircraft designs will carry people and cargo around the country before the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued full certification, according to Wired. The initiative will span 26 states, including New York, New Jersey, Texas, Florida, and New Mexico.

The new aircraft “are going to make the airspace far more interesting and far more fun, and we have to be prepared for that,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

The Companies Behind the Aircraft

According to the companies building them, the aircraft are quieter, less expensive, and don’t emit the level of emissions that helicopters or airplanes do. Several of them, like electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) and ultra-short takeoff aircraft can takeoff and land with less space, and they don’t require traditional airports.

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The announcement touts a variety of operational concepts, including urban air taxi services, regional passenger transportation, and emergency medical response operations. 

“Now the goal is to have half a million people in the biggest cities in the country start to see these aircraft as part of your everyday commute, just like they started to see Waymos every day,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of Archer Aviation, one of the companies involved in the pilot program. 

Archer is launching Midnight, an electric air taxi for up to four passengers on 60 to 90 minute trips. The company received funding from United Airlines and automaker Stellantis, and it said it would be completing another step toward certification “in the coming quarters.”

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