Alphabet (GOOG.US, GOOGL.US) subsidiary Waymo has received approval for commercial operations at San Jose Mineta International Airport. San Jose Mineta Airport will become the first in California and the second globally to welcome Waymo services at its terminals.
The rollout will be conducted in phases, beginning with fully autonomous testing by Waymo employees, followed by the official launch of commercial operations to the public later this year. Earlier this year, the company obtained permits for manual mapping at San Francisco International Airport, laying the groundwork for eventual commercial service deployment there.
The company already operates at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where it launched curbside services in late 2023 and expanded to round-the-clock operations in August 2024. Since then, Waymo reports completing "hundreds of thousands" of airport trips, making Sky Harbor the most popular destination in Phoenix.
Waymo's autonomous taxi fleet currently exceeds 2,000 vehicles nationwide, with approximately 800 in the San Francisco Bay Area, 500 in Los Angeles, 400 in Phoenix, 100 in Austin, and a smaller number in Atlanta. The company announced plans this week to expand operations to Denver and Seattle, with Dallas, Miami, and Washington D.C. also in the pipeline. Additionally, the company has obtained testing permits for New York City.