Are air taxis drones?
Not in the FAA’s terms. The FAA treats an air taxi as a piloted aircraft built to carry people, and it sorts air taxis from drones by size, safety certification, and range. The line gets blurry for a few pilotless designs, like EHang’s, and the FAA’s powered-lift rule covers only aircraft with a pilot on board. Below is what each regulator and company says. We read every source on October 28, 2026.
Last updated October 28, 2026.
How does the FAA tell them apart?
By size, safety certification, and range. The FAA says advanced air mobility aircraft typically have a maximum takeoff weight of 12,500 pounds and are designed to carry people and large loads. They get FAA airworthiness certificates that aren’t typical for smaller drones. Congress defines a drone as an aircraft of no more than 1,320 pounds that operates below 18,000 feet. The FAA adds that both kinds may be automated or remotely piloted, “but the commonality stops there.” Source: FAA, Advanced Air Mobility FAQ, updated October 16, 2026 (opens in new tab).
The FAA’s rules use a plainer test for “unmanned.” An unmanned aircraft is one “operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft.” A small unmanned aircraft weighs less than 55 pounds on takeoff. An air taxi with a pilot in the seat is neither. Source: 14 CFR 1.1, definitions, read October 28, 2026 (opens in new tab). What is eVTOL? explains the aircraft types, and the air taxi glossary covers the terms.
Do air taxis have a pilot?
The first ones will. Powered-lift is the FAA’s category for aircraft that take off like a helicopter and fly like an airplane, and its powered-lift rule applies only to aircraft with pilots on board. The FAA’s FAQ asks whether the rule covers unmanned powered-lift aircraft and answers no. A pilot needs a private, commercial, or airline transport pilot certificate with a powered-lift rating, plus a type rating for each aircraft type. Source: FAA, powered-lift rule FAQ, updated October 22, 2024 (opens in new tab). The rule itself, a special federal aviation regulation, stays in effect until January 21, 2035. Source: 14 CFR Part 194, read October 28, 2026 (opens in new tab). See how the FAA certifies powered-lift air taxis for the full path.
Two U.S. designs fit that model. The FAA’s final airworthiness criteria for Joby’s aircraft describe a single pilot on board flying under visual flight rules, and its criteria for Archer’s aircraft describe a pilot and four passengers. Sources: Federal Register, Joby criteria, March 8, 2024 (opens in new tab) · Federal Register, Archer criteria, May 24, 2024 (opens in new tab). Joby also lists “pilot + 4 passengers” on its technology page. Company-stated. Source: Joby technology page, read October 28, 2026 (opens in new tab). Archer is the second U.S. design with that layout. The manned or autonomous guide has the full list.
Which air taxis plan to fly without a pilot?
A few, and only one is certified. EHang says China’s aviation regulator issued a type certificate for its EH216-S on October 13, 2023. EHang calls the aircraft a “passenger-carrying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system” and says it’s the first type certificate for an unmanned eVTOL. Company-stated. Source: EHang news release, October 13, 2023 (opens in new tab). EHang’s product page describes pilotless flights on preset routes, with a command-and-control system that can step in during an emergency. Company-stated. Source: EHang EH216-S page, read October 28, 2026 (opens in new tab). Our EH216-S guide and the EHang company page cover the certificate in detail.
Wisk is the U.S. example. It describes its sixth-generation aircraft as a four-seat, self-flying air taxi with human oversight, and says human supervisors oversee every flight. Wisk called it the first autonomous eVTOL candidate for FAA type certification. Company-stated. Source: Wisk, Generation 6 announcement, October 3, 2022 (opens in new tab). That’s a design goal. The FAA’s powered-lift rule doesn’t cover an aircraft like it today.
The directory tags these programs autonomous and the piloted ones manned. Tags show the plan, not an approval.
What does Europe say?
EASA draws the same line. It defines a drone as an aircraft that “operates autonomously or is remotely piloted without a human pilot on board.” It says eVTOL aircraft may be flown without a pilot at some point in the future. Source: EASA, drones and air mobility basics, read October 28, 2026 (opens in new tab). Its July 2025 decision on air taxi operations says they’re expected to begin with a pilot on board. Later, the same aircraft may be remotely piloted with increasing levels of autonomy. Source: EASA, ED Decision 2025/010/R explanatory note, July 8, 2025 (opens in new tab). Are air taxis safe? covers how EASA and the FAA set safety rules.
Where do the drone rules fit?
Drone rules are moving separately. In August 2025 the FAA proposed a new Part 108 for drone flights beyond the pilot’s line of sight, at or below 400 feet. It covers uses like package delivery, agriculture, and surveying, not passenger flights. Source: Federal Register, proposed rule, August 7, 2025 (opens in new tab) · FAA fact sheet (opens in new tab). The FAA reopened the comment period in January and February 2026. Sources: Federal Register, January 28, 2026 (opens in new tab) · Federal Register, February 10, 2026 (opens in new tab). We found no final rule in the Federal Register as of October 28, 2026.
The FAA’s eVTOL pilot program is where the two worlds meet. The agency says its projects include piloted and unmanned approaches. Source: FAA, pilot program fact sheet, March 2026 (opens in new tab). On October 19, 2026, the FAA said Albuquerque became the sixth location to launch. The city and Reliable Robotics ran cargo demonstration flights with a remotely piloted Cessna 208B Caravan. That’s a cargo plane with a pilot on the ground, not an air taxi. Source: FAA news release, October 19, 2026 (opens in new tab). Passenger or cargo? explains how the directory separates the two.
What does this mean for a ride?
Plan on a pilot. Joby’s and Archer’s aircraft are both designed for one, and when air taxis launch depends on certification, not on drone rules. A pilotless passenger flight in the U.S. would need rules beyond the current powered-lift rule. If you want to fly an aircraft yourself, see whether you need a license for a personal eVTOL and whether the Jetson ONE is legal to fly. For how pilotless and piloted aircraft will share the sky, read how air traffic control will handle air taxis.