The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced that BETA Technologies and United Therapeutics Corporation, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, flight-tested organ medical-transport capabilities from Virginia to Maryland. This is a major milestone in the Department’s work to safely launch Advanced Air Mobility aircraft into America’s skies under the Trump Administration’s Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program (eIPP).
“The eIPP gives us a real-world environment to safely test and integrate the next generation of aircraft into our airspace system,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “From urban and rural transportation to lifesaving medical and search-and-rescue missions, these aircraft have virtually unlimited potential and we’re grateful for the partnerships that are helping turn that potential into reality.”
BETA’s ALIA electric aircraft flew from Virginia Tech Montgomery Executive Airport to Charlottesville Albemarle Airport carrying an animal organ in a containment system— a medical cooler used to keep donor organs alive and healthy during transport. There, the containment system was transferred to another ALIA, which flew to Frederick Municipal Airport and finally to Martin State Airport – Baltimore. The purpose was to test and evaluate the reliability of electric aircraft for critical organ delivery.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and other eIPP participants are planning additional test flights throughout the rest of the year.
Additional Information:
The eIPP is a first-of-its-kind program that was outlined in President Trump’s Unleashing Drone Dominance Executive Order. It creates one of the largest real-world testing environments for next-generation aircraft that have the potential to generate new jobs, connect communities, and strengthen American leadership in aviation.
In March 2026, the Department of Transportation announced it selected eight projects across 26 states to join the eIPP. Partners include leading aircraft manufacturers, operators and state partners testing a range of operational concepts including urban air taxi services, emergency medical response operations, and cargo logistics. The FAA will use the findings from these test flights to better understand operational constraints, validate concepts, refine procedures, and inform future policy, training, and integration.
