The U.S. federal government is moving aggressively to bring two long-stalled aviation technologies to market at once: electric air taxis for urban commuting and supersonic jets for long-distance travel. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) are using executive orders and new regulatory frameworks to speed certification, with testing already underway and major milestones expected by 2027.

What Is Happening With Electric Air Taxis Right Now?

Eight companies have been selected to test electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, known as eVTOLs, across 26 states through the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. This three-year initiative allows operators to begin flying before completing full FAA type certification, accelerating the path from development to commercial service. Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, and Wisk are among the operators named in the program, with testing expected to begin as early as summer 2026.

The pilot projects include real-world applications that demonstrate the commercial case for air taxis. Joby recently flew a seven-minute trip from Manhattan to JFK Airport, a journey that typically takes an hour or more by car. Other planned projects span regional links across Texas, connecting Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, with Manhattan heliport services run in partnership with the Port Authority.

Importantly, neither Joby nor Archer has yet received full FAA type certification. Joby has cleared the fourth of five certification stages, with the final stage still pending. The pilot program is designed to gather operational data in real-world conditions, not to waive safety reviews. As the FAA works toward finalizing takeoff, landing, and overland noise standards by mid-2027, the data from these eight projects will inform the certification process.

How Is the FAA Modernizing Rules for Next-Generation Aviation?

• Powered-Lift Certification: The FAA finalized new flight and pilot certification rules that allow electric aircraft to operate seamlessly in the National Airspace System alongside standard helicopters and airplanes.
• Noise-Based Standards: Rather than enforcing strict speed caps, the FAA is setting interim limits on sonic boom overpressure and community noise, leveraging modern aerodynamic designs and "Mach cutoff" techniques that refract sonic booms back into the atmosphere.
• Regulatory Flexibility: The FAA is avoiding overly prescriptive standards to allow industry to drive innovation while maintaining safety oversight.

Deputy FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau emphasized this approach at the Farnborough Airshow, stating that the agency is committed to integrating new aircraft into the national airspace safely and efficiently.

"We want to make sure that we're not being too prescriptive in those standards, and that we're letting the industry drive the innovation," Rocheleau said.

Chris Rocheleau, Deputy FAA Administrator

What About the Supersonic Flight Ban?

The FAA has proposed a rule that would end a prohibition on civil supersonic flight over U.S. land that has been in place since 1973. The original ban, written into federal aviation regulations, was enacted after test flights over cities like Oklahoma City produced sonic booms that broke windows and generated thousands of damage complaints in the 1960s.

The new approach replaces the outright speed limit with a noise-based standard. Aircraft could fly faster than sound over land provided the sonic boom overpressure measured at the surface stays at or below 0.11 pounds per square foot, a threshold designed to keep the boom from being heard on the ground. This interim standard leverages advances in aerodynamic design that were not available when the original ban was enacted.

The proposed rule, docket FAA-2026-6935, is open for public comment until August 17, 2026, with a second rule covering takeoff and landing noise expected later in the year. The FAA aims to finalize both rules by mid-2027. Companies like Boom Supersonic and Spike Aerospace are positioned to benefit from this change, with United Airlines having agreed to purchase up to 50 Boom Overture jets, with service targeted around the end of the decade.

"This means we can ultimately repeal the ban from the 1970s on supersonic flight over U.S. territory while minimising noise impacts," FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said.

Bryan Bedford, FAA Administrator

What Challenges Remain?

Despite the regulatory momentum, significant hurdles remain. European competitors have repeatedly missed certification timelines, a reminder that regulatory ambition and airworthiness are not the same thing. Noise remains an open question on both fronts: the 0.11 pounds per square foot supersonic standard is interim, community-noise rules for eVTOLs are still being written, and residents living under new air taxi corridors have yet to weigh in at scale.

The next phase involves public comment periods, flight testing, and certification decisions that will determine whether the timelines hold. For now, Washington has signaled that it wants both technologies flying commercially, and soon. The White House and aviation regulators frame the push as designed to clear outdated regulatory hurdles, capture leadership in zero-emission urban air mobility, and initiate a new "Golden Age of Aviation".