Waymo has received clearance to serve its first airport in California, San Jose Mineta International. The company announced on Thursday that it will begin testing its robotaxis there in the coming months, with plans to start offering commercial rides by the end of the year.
The company has spent years working toward serving airports in its home state. Waymo was engaged in discussions with officials at San Francisco’s airport back in 2023 but was initially rebuffed. Earlier this year, however, Waymo was granted a permit to start manually mapping that major airport as a first step toward launching a commercial service there.
Waymo started offering curbside drop-off and pick-up at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport in late 2023 and expanded to 24/7 service in August 2024. The company says it has since provided hundreds of thousands of trips to and from the Arizona airport, making it the most popular destination in Phoenix.
The company has been on a significant expansion push lately. It operates more than 2,000 robotaxis in its nationwide fleet, with around 800 in the Bay Area, 500 in Los Angeles, 400 in Phoenix, 100 in Austin, and dozens in Atlanta.
Earlier this week, Waymo revealed plans to expand service to Denver and Seattle. The company had previously announced it will launch commercial operations in Dallas, Miami, and Washington, D.C. Waymo also recently received approval to start testing its vehicles in New York City.