Full vertiport automation is not achievable before 2075 according to leading AI and aviation experts. So what does the right balance between AI and human decision-making actually look like — and what happens to the passenger experience if companies get it wrong?
The vehicles are real. The investment is real. The infrastructure that makes those vehicles commercially viable does not yet exist at the scale any business model requires. Twenty-four vertiports broke ground in 2024 against a planned pipeline of 1,504. The honest state of AAM in April 2026.
The geopolitical shift underway in Washington is real and consequential for Advanced Air Mobility. Federal funding is realigning toward defense and away from clean energy and alternative mobility programs. For a sector that has long relied on the DoD revenue bridge as its near-term survival mechanism, that shift creates opportunity for some OEMs — and accelerates existential pressure for others.
Electra has been named the premier private company participant in the U.S. Department of Transportation and FAA’s inaugural eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. With 2,200 pre-orders worth nearly $10 billion and a hybrid-electric aircraft that takes off and lands in 150 feet, Electra is making a compelling case that advanced air mobility doesn’t need airports — it just needs the right aircraft.
Japan’s SkyDrive has secured agreement with the JCAB on its General Certification Plan for the SD-05 eVTOL, marking one of the most significant milestones yet on the road to type certification and a planned 2028 commercial launch in Japan and the U.S.
For a decade, the AAM industry has been obsessed with the “what”—the aircraft. But as we enter 2026, the bottleneck isn’t the wingspan; it’s the infrastructure. In this strategic briefing, I detail why I’m pivoting from communications to business intelligence to solve the “Infrastructure Trap.”
The aircraft is only the beginning. Discover how the partnership between Electra and Virginia is solving the IFR bottleneck to unlock a $16B AAM economy.
AutoFlight has completed a public transition flight of its 5 ton class Matrix eVTOL in China. The 10 seat aircraft moves the industry beyond four to six seat designs and pushes Advanced Air Mobility toward higher payloads, cargo operations, and new route economics. We look at what this milestone means for regulators, infrastructure planners, and operators watching the large eVTOL space.
Hawaii is positioning itself for federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program selection through a partnership combining existing airline operations with electric aircraft technology. Surf Air Mobility, the Hawaii Department of Transportation, and BETA Technologies submitted a joint eIPP application on January 27, leveraging Mokulele Airlines’ position as Hawaii’s largest commuter carrier by scheduled departures. The partnership plans to initially conduct cargo missions between Mokulele’s existing interisland routes using BETA’s ALIA electric aircraft, building on the airline’s 36,000 flights in 2025 averaging 51 miles, ideal for first generation electric aircraft. If selected, the initiative would advance electric aviation through real world regional airline integration rather than theoretical deployment scenarios.
This week, ElectricAirMobility.news begins a full site migration to enhance performance and user experience. Expect brief disruptions until completion.