Miami-Dade Aviation Department is using Miami Executive Airport in Kendall as an early test site for eVTOL air taxis, autonomous drones and other advanced aircraft under a phased SafeLand programme with Bell-Dancy Industries. The project begins with small drone trials before moving to larger eVTOL operations, while BDI installs its ALTA system at the airport’s ramp facilities to gather operational data and inform future vertiport planning.
The controlled test area sits at least 250 metres from active runways and is designed to examine how new aircraft can operate alongside live tower traffic without affecting conventional movements. Coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration is part of the rollout, which also links to wider planning at Miami International Airport and other Miami-Dade facilities.
A separate agreement with Wisk Aero is examining potential vertiport locations at Miami Executive, Miami International and Opa-locka Executive, but no passenger-service date has been set. The work remains focused on testing, infrastructure assessment and airspace integration as South Florida evaluates whether it can support advanced air mobility at scale.