Could air taxis help Texans skip traffic? Testing is now underway

Project Nexus will test electric aircraft as officials explore autonomous cargo and future passenger flights.

Texas is taking a leading role in testing electric air taxis, launching a three-year pilot program to explore the ways highly automated aircraft could eventually carry cargo and passengers.

National and local leaders launched Project Nexus on Thursday, with Texas leading a multistate effort to test the aircraft.

“This is the Jetsons. I mean, literally, this is the Jetsons age,” Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division Director Daniel Harmon said.

The electric aircraft combine characteristics commonly associated with airplanes, drones and helicopters but represent a different form of highly automated aviation technology.

“Today is the day of celebration. Today is a day of innovation,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said federal officials have “delegated authority to the state of Texas” as the program gets underway.

The first stage of the three-year project will involve pilots working to determine an effective route system. The next step will be certification for some operations to fly without pilots.

“What you will see is the autonomous vehicles carrying freight or medical supplies, things like that,” Harmon said.

Eventually, the project could expand to flights carrying people.

“Today, we are making aviation history," National Business Aviation Association COO Chris Rocheleau said, "Not only the United States, but the world.”

Archer, one of the companies participating in the program, hopes to begin transporting passengers during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

Leaders said the technology could eventually make booking an air taxi as simple as choosing another transportation option.

“We’ll go to Uber and, you know, do I want to take the car, do I want to take an SUV, or do I want to take a vertical lift aircraft to take me to the concert?” Harmon said.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.