Duffy, Rocheleau Announce ‘Roadmap’ for Air Taxi Development

The future of advanced air mobility is looking increasingly bright for the US, with the President, Transportation Secretary, and Acting FAA Administrator all putting in the work to get air taxis in the sky. This has granted some much-needed relief to the bold group of manufacturers that have brought the aircraft to life.

At the Paris Air Show on June 18, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau unveiled a roadmap to streamline certification and regulation of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft—eVTOLs. The plan is backed by President Donald Trump, who recently signed an executive order to launch a national test program for flying cars.

The new strategy includes coordination with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK to harmonize safety and certification standards. That means aircraft certified in one of these countries could potentially be approved in the others, cutting red tape and time-to-market for manufacturers.

Key features include performance-based requirements, phased certification (“crawl, walk, run”), and shared data across national aviation authorities. The goal is to complete harmonization by July 2027, right around when several companies claim they’ll be operational. Some even promise demo flights for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Companies like Archer Aviation and Boeing’s subsidiary Wisk Aero welcomed the announcement, calling it a turning point. Wisk’s fully electric, autonomous, four-seat aircraft has no pilot controls—just passengers, luggage space, and a ground-based human monitor. The aircraft uses 12 electric rotors for vertical lift and forward flight, with a 90-mile range.

Despite previous delays and one high-profile bankruptcy (RIP Volocopter), the industry seems hopeful that this time will be different. As Wisk CEO Sebastien Vigneron put it, the technology isn’t the problem: “It’s more a regulatory and public acceptance challenge”. With federal backing, international coordination, and deep-pocketed investors onboard, air taxis might just be cleared for takeoff… eventually.

FMI: www.transportation.gov