This week, the FAA announced that Electra and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, conducted hybrid-electric demonstration flights, testing routes that connect small, regional airports with major airline hubs. The test flights were part of the agency’s Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program, better known as the eIPP, which was announced a little less than a year ago.

For these test flights, aircraft flew between Manassas, Virginia, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the FAA noting stops at: 

  • Washington Manassas Airport in Virginia 
  • Millville Executive Airport in New Jersey 
  • Atlantic City Bader Field in New Jersey 
  • Northeast Philadelphia Airport in Pennsylvania  
  • Philadelphia International Airport 

In March, the DOT announced the selection of eight projects for the eIPP, of which the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation was one. These projects support the FAA's effort to integrate Advanced Air Mobility aircraft into the National Airspace System as the technology moves from prototype to regular operations.

“With every new test flight, the Department is gathering more of the data we need to enable the safe rollout of these next-generation aircraft," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy in a statement.

“The information collected from this demonstration will help us build a system that connects Americans in rural communities and larger metropolitan areas, creating more opportunities for jobs and essential services,” Bryan Bedford, the FAA Administrator, added.

The FAA notes that the eIPP is a “first-of-its-kind” initiative that was part of President Donald Trump’s Unleashing Drone Dominance Executive Order, issued in June of 2025. These test flights from both the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the other participants are expected to continue throughout the rest of this year. The rest of the eIPP participants can be found below.

  • Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
  • Texas Department of Transportation
  • Utah Department of Transportation
  • Louisiana
  • Florida Department of Transportation
  • North Carolina Department of Transportation
  • City of Albuquerque