Albuquerque becomes sixth FAA test site for autonomous and eVTOL flight

Albuquerque becomes sixth FAA test site for autonomous and eVTOL flight

19 October 2026: The US Transportation Department has announced New Mexico's first demonstration flight under its eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), making the City of Albuquerque Aviation Department the sixth of the programme's sites to start flying, after North Carolina in late September. The demonstrations used Reliable Robotics' remotely piloted Cessna 208B Caravan to test cargo deliveries at Albuquerque International Sunport.

Not yet independently verified. The FAA does not give the dates of the individual demonstration flights or any timetable for rules; the announcement date comes from the newsroom listing. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

What was tested

The flights took place last week, the FAA says, and Albuquerque and the other eIPP participants plan more test flights for the rest of the year. The programme, unveiled in March, has eight selected projects spanning 28 states, working with aircraft makers, operators and state partners to test electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, autonomous planes and drones in real conditions. The FAA "may use data from the pilot projects to develop new regulations" that let these aircraft operate at scale.

"Every test flight provides critical data to help build a system that strengthens our nation's infrastructure and connect communities," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.

The remotely piloted cargo plane

Reliable Robotics fits autonomy and remote piloting to existing aircraft such as the Caravan, a common single-engine cargo plane, rather than building a new airframe. "Reliable's work with the FAA and the City of Albuquerque is building the roadmap for integrating autonomy into high-density airspaces, clearing a major hurdle toward commercial operations," said Robert Rose, its chief executive and co-founder. Manny Manriquez, Albuquerque's director of aviation, called the city "one of just eight designees nationwide." Mayor Tim Keller said the city wants to be one that "says yes to new technology and new opportunities".

Rules written from test flights

Regulation, not technology, is the main bottleneck for autonomous and remotely piloted cargo aircraft. Pilot programmes like eIPP are how the FAA gathers the evidence it needs to write rules, so the sites, operators and data they produce shape what will be allowed later. For logistics companies looking at small-cargo routes to regional airports, the demonstrations are an early signal of which operating models the FAA is willing to test in busy airspace. Reliable Robotics was also reported this month to have raised new funding.

Sources

• FAA: Transportation Secretary announces New Mexico's first advanced air mobility demonstration flight under eIPP, 19 October 2026