Dallas is about 37 miles south of Melissa. A new three-year Texas Department of Transportation effort is examining how electric aircraft could eventually carry passengers across the North Texas region. Called Project Nexus, the initiative began its first phase Sept. 10 at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, with demonstrations by BETA Technologies and Joby Aviation. No passengers were aboard those opening flights.
The initial work involves helicopters and fixed-wing airplanes to study possible routes and collect information for advanced-air-mobility operations. Under TxDOT's proposal for the federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, Joby also planned seven days of piloted flights in North Texas.
Proposed missions included flights directly into Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, a round trip involving Arlington, and service linking Alliance Airport with Toyota Motor North America's headquarters in Plano. One test would take a Joby aircraft into DFW's controlled airspace and land at DFW Corporate Aviation.
Joby's aircraft is electrically powered and capable of vertical takeoff. NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration have studied electric air taxi integration in North Texas since 2018. A 2023 simulation by Joby and NASA considered whether the DFW terminal area could handle 50 such operations per hour. The report gives neither the simulation's findings nor a schedule for commercial passenger service.
