Over the past five years, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) has advanced from research and development to planning to implementation and operation, reaching a major inflection point this year with the launch of the AAM and eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.
The ascendance of AAM coincides with one of the most tumultuous periods for traditional aviation in the last
two decades. Just over a year ago, the industry experienced the Potomac River midair collision, ending a nearly 16-year streak without a deadly commercial plane crash in the United States. There has also been an alarming increase in reported near-miss incidents and air traffic control mishaps, compounded by an ongoing controller shortage.
More recently, TSA has been experiencing staffing shortages and long delays due to federal budget debates. Likewise, the industry is facing sharp increases in fuel prices driven by the war with Iran and the resulting disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which began in late February 2026. While fuel prices will stabilize over time, this event serves as a reminder of the volatility of energy markets in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.
Even before these challenges, interest in AAM has been steadily building as the industry looks for more efficient, more environmentally friendly and more affordable solutions for short-haul flights and middle-mile operations. Today, technologies like electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are viewed as industry-defining innovations that can help push aviation to the next level of accessibility.
Despite the excitement, AAM’s opportunities came with an intricate knot of technology, infrastructure standards,
community acceptance and workforce training needs that had to be addressed. Over the past five years, the AAM industry and its partners across airports, the private sector, and local, state and federal governments have strived to address these challenges. Although there is still much work that remains, aviation is on the brink of a new era.
Technological Innovations, Capital Investment and Manufacturer Consolidation
The last five years have seen technology rapidly accelerate the growth of the AAM industry, with electrification standing out as one of the most significant advancements. In particular, sustained investment and continuous improvement in battery technology and charging stations, largely mirroring developments in the electric automotive sector, have empowered the industry to move from prototype testing to piloted transitions and even
cross-country flights.
Another major contributor to AAM’s progress during this period has been the large inflow of capital from investors, airlines, logistics companies, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
As electric propulsion has advanced, the marketed potential for a safer, quieter and more efficient version of vertical flight triggered a resurgence of investment, ultimately causing the eVTOL aircraft landscape to become overcrowded.
Over time, however, the industry consolidated, narrowing its focus to a handful of companies capable of moving beyond concepts into real-world testing and certification. In the last five years especially, several leading OEMs have emerged, including Wisk, Eve, BETA Technologies, Archer Aviation, Joby Aviation and Vertical Aerospace in the United Kingdom. It is important to note that traditional helicopter OEMs have also made significant
strides in proven technology and safety, underscoring a closely linked ecosystem in which advances in helicopters and eVTOLs continue to inform and accelerate one another.
This OEM consolidation is a strong indicator that the AAM industry is morphing to one that can stand the difficult test of time in the larger aviation industry. Much like commercial aviation today, which has only a handful of major aircraft manufacturers, including Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and Bombardier CRJ, when an emerging sector narrows to a small group of credible, well-capitalized manufacturers, it typically signals that the technology is ready for testing and real-world operations. Such is the case for AAM’s leading OEMs.
For example, Wisk reports that its Generation 6, a fully autonomous, pilotless eVTOL, has begun full-scale flight testing. Likewise, Joby Aviation says its Joby S4, having completed four of five FAA certification stages, is currently flying piloted, FAA conforming aircraft in operational U.S. airspace as part of FAA approved flight testing.
The last five years have also seen increased investment from major airlines across the AAM ecosystem. Notably, Delta Air Lines partnered with Joby, United Airlines invested in Archer, American Airlines backed Vertical Aerospace and Southwest Airlines signed an agreement with Archer as well. International carriers soon followed, with Japan Airlines, several Middle Eastern airlines and others signing agreements. Cargo and defense sectors have also joined the movement; UPS launched its eVTOL program early and other logistics companies have
begun exploring the technology for short-haul and middle-mile operations. The military has likewise shown interest, both for cargo missions and for future mobility roles.
Infrastructure Standards Catch Up to Technology
Every major technological advancement brings new infrastructure requirements and AAM is no exception. As AAM has experienced significant research leaps over the last five years, the need for safe, performance-informed vertiport and airport infrastructure has grown, especially as industry pushes for longer-range, heavier-payload capabilities. At the same time, it became clear that infrastructure standards were not only essential to making AAM a reality, but also one of the largest obstacles to progress. eVTOLs, for example, are typically battery-powered and somewhat comparable to helicopters in that they can operate in urban areas due to their vertical capabilities. A rigorous debate comparing eVTOLs to helicopters has ensued, with eVTOL development restarting an important conversation about downwash and outwash, the ability to clear obstacles and the complexity of their aircraft designs. These characteristics come with specific infrastructure needs, such as ample vertiport takeoff-and-landing locations to load and unload cargo and passengers, protected airspace, as well as recharging stations.
Woolpert, an architecture, engineering and geospatial firm, collaborated with OEMs, airports and local governments to conduct infrastructure research beginning in 2019. These research efforts focused on downwash, outwash, landing precision and other critical performance measures, not only for new aircraft
like eVTOLs, but also for benchmarking against legacy aircraft such as helicopters. In addition to leading infrastructure research on prototype aircraft, Woolpert helped develop standards for the AAM industry at all levels of government.
When new aircraft technologies emerge, no one starts with a ready-made playbook. Before 2022, existing government regulations did not technically cover aircraft like eVTOLs, in part due to the cancellation of the original vertiport design advisory circular. Standardization efforts were further complicated by the wide variety of manufacturers producing their own designs. Woolpert worked directly with industry leaders in support of federal government research to develop standards, releasing the first AAM infrastructure standards in 2022 and publishing an update at the end of 2024. The first full, performance-informed infrastructure advisory circular is expected to be published in the near future.
One of the most important elements of these new standards is the merging of vertiport and heliport design guidance into a unified standard. This unification is significant for two reasons. First, the U.S. already has thousands of heliports which, while often underutilized and underfunded, represent a vast base of existing infrastructure. Second, combining heliport and vertiport guidance will support the design of multipurpose facilities and allow local governments to fast-track approvals by relying on existing zoning and permitting frameworks. Helicopters and heliports serve many of AAM’s use cases today. Access, often directly related to cost, has been the primary barrier preventing AAM from scaling to the level that communities and operators
hope to achieve.
The Country Prepares for the Arrival of AAM
In parallel with the development of infrastructure standards, states, airports and local governments have carried out extensive strategic planning in anticipation of AAM. Municipalities have advanced zoning updates, workforce training and community engagement efforts to build public acceptance and prepare planners for vertiports and other new aviation facilities. At the federal level, similar programs have been deployed to support local communities.
The three states at the forefront of AAM readiness are Florida, Texas and California. Florida took a unique approach by launching a statewide municipal training program. Orlando, Tampa and Miami were particularly enthusiastic, forming task forces and updating zoning and land-use codes. Orlando International even conducted largescale tabletop exercises to model AAM operations.
In Texas, Dallas and Houston stand out as leaders, with councils of local governments, airports and the state aligning their efforts. Sugar Land, a community outside Houston, has made major investments in mobility and AAM planning as well. Los Angeles is another standout example. The federal government has identified the 2028 Summer Olympic Games as a key milestone for AAM’s public debut, and Los Angeles has undergone extensive planning so that AAM can play a meaningful role in transporting VIPs, fans and stakeholders.
AAM Reaches an Inflection Point with New Pilot Program Testing
AAM is at a unique point technologically, operationally and politically. With research, infrastructure standards development and planning each progressing steadily everything is converging in 2026 as the industry transitions
to real implementation and operations, epitomized by the announcement of FAA’s AAM and eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), one of the strongest signals of federal commitment to AAM.
DOT Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA announced that eight proposals were selected for the program. The eight major eIPP focus areas, which include state departments of transportation, airports and local governments across a mix of dense urban regions and rural markets, will serve as one of the largest testing environments for next-generation aircraft. The selected participants will use the new infrastructure guidance and standards to prepare for real-world AAM operations, making the eIPP the bridge between planning and implementation.
It stands to reason that policymakers no longer see AAM as a distant concept but as an operational priority. Tangible politicalwillpower now exists across administrations, agencies, and regions, evidenced by the federal government directly investing in testbeds, local governments preparing for integration and manufacturers nearing certification. Furthermore, the eIPP benefits from bipartisan alignment, as both the Trump and Biden administrations have supported AAM.
AAM’s Next Chapter Begins
Over the last five years, the AAM industry has progressed from research and development to investment, market consolidation and nationwide strategic planning to true implementation and operationalization, with eIPP exemplifying this transition. Although research continues, the first set of major questions are largely being answered, even if more slowly than anticipated. Everything learned, planned, tested, and coordinated over the past half-decade is beginning to translate into real services, real infrastructure and real operations.