Governor Stein Celebrates North Carolina’s Aviation Excellence at NCDOT eLIFT-NC Showcase
NORTH CAROLINA, September 23 - Today Governor Josh Stein joined the North Carolina Department of Transportation at the eLIFT-NC Showcase to celebrate North Carolina’s first electric air taxi flights through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). NCDOT’s eLIFT-NC initiative aims to create a network connecting airports and hospitals using air taxis to improve rural health care access and disaster response efforts.
“North Carolina is first in flight; we are the future of flight, and as today’s announcement shows, we are still gaining speed and altitude,” said Governor Josh Stein. “This eLIFT-NC grant will improve health care access and quality of care while cementing North Carolina’s aviation legacy. We appreciate the FAA’s partnership.”
At the eLIFT-NC Showcase, attendees toured the aircraft, experienced flight simulators, and watched demonstrations by Joby Aviation and BETA Technologies. Governor Stein and Secretary Johnson also had the opportunity to ride in the aircraft during the event.
“Rooted in our legacy as the First in Flight state, North Carolina is committed to shaping the future of aviation,” said North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson. “Through eLIFT-NC, we’re exploring emerging technologies that can expand access, strengthen connections to rural communities and create new ways to move people and goods across our state.”
The first eLIFT-NC flights took place this month, with manufacturing partners Joby Aviation remotely piloting and BETA Technologies using electric flights between the Triangle and the Outer Banks. These flights mark a major milestone in phase one of the eLIFT-NC program, where NCDOT will establish flight routes, expand to additional airport pairs, build safety cases, engage local communities, and gather data needed to inform future operations.
More than 400 aerospace companies call North Carolina home, and North Carolina’s aviation industry contributes $88 billion to the state economy annually. Last week, Governor Stein joined the N.C. Global TransPark and the U.S. Navy in Kinston for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE). The facility will maintain and repair military aircraft and advanced combat helicopters for the United States military and bring more than 400 jobs to eastern North Carolina, with an estimated $140 million annual economic impact.
Last year, Governor Stein announced that JetZero would be building an advanced manufacturing facility for a first-of-its-kind commercial all-wing jet, as well as a state-of-the-art research and development center for composite structures. The jet’s unique design uses technological advancements to help lower carbon emissions, burn less fuel, and enhance the experience of its travelers. The company’s more than $4.7 billion investment in the project is expected to lift the state’s economy by more than $250 billion and create more than 14,500 high-wage aerospace manufacturing jobs – the largest economic development project in North Carolina history based on job commitment.
Governor Stein is also committed to supporting apprenticeship models that create more pathways to jobs in high-demand sectors like aviation. Last year, he celebrated Guilford Technical Community College’s new Aviation Center, providing more students with industry-recognized skills and certifications for careers in aerospace and advanced manufacturing. In May, the Governor also celebrated the grand opening of Lenoir Community College’s Senator Jim Perry Aviation Center for Excellence, offering a variety of courses that will prepare students to be pilots, entry-level airline mechanics, and precision machinists.
North Carolina has the second-largest rural population in the country. Governor Stein is committed to investing in rural North Carolina and in all 100 counties. In 2025, more than $12.5 billion in investment and nearly 5,000 jobs were brought to rural North Carolina. Governor Stein’s Health Care Affordability Commission is committed to developing timely, concrete solutions to rein in surging health care costs, and commission priority areas include examining unique solutions to improve affordability in rural areas. In June, the Governor celebrated three new programs to improve the digital infrastructure of rural health care, advancing the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program (NCRHTP) digital health and technology initiative funded by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Nearly 40 local North Carolina EMS agencies recently received a total of $10 million through NCRHTP that will strengthen the EMS workforce and expand rural communities’ access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment and services.
Footage of the first eLIFT-NC flights will be available on NCDOT’s YouTube channel.
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