Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
19 October 2026
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced New Mexico’s first demonstration flight under the USDOT’s Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). Led by the City of Albuquerque Aviation Department, New Mexico is the sixth location to launch under the Department’s initiative, following North Carolina in late September.
Under Secretary Duffy, the USDOT has created one of the nation’s largest real-world environments for testing eVTOLs, autonomous planes, and drone technology.
The first-of-its-kind initiative has the potential to create jobs, connect communities, and strengthen American leadership in aviation. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may use data from the pilot projects to develop new regulations that safely enable this futuristic technology at scale...
