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.
Four signals shaping Advanced Air Mobility this week: Archer’s Florida eIPP selection moves Midnight closer to H2 2026 operations, BETA Technologies completes 23 flights in Scotland and signs an expansion MOU with Loganair, Aviation Week surfaces the maintenance workforce bottleneck no commercial model is pricing, and Electra’s EL9 joins the eIPP as the one participant whose infrastructure math bypasses the vertiport dependency entirely.
Japan’s leading eVTOL manufacturer just completed its first-ever public flights over Tokyo — testing everything from biometric check-in to compact rooftop vertiport operations. Now SkyDrive is bringing that momentum to Atlanta, where a major U.S. partnership announcement is set for March 9 at Verticon 2026. We’ve been watching SkyDrive for almost a decade.
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.
AAM security addresses cyber takeover, physical misuse and supply chain risks through FAA guidance and vertiport hardening.
Advanced air mobility shifts from prototypes to operations in 2026. Joby enters FAA test flights, Archer eyes Miami routes, Eve secures US funding, and vertiports face power constraints.
Cybersecurity is rapidly becoming one of the most critical challenges for advanced air mobility. In this episode, AJ Khan of Vehiqilla explains why a holistic, ecosystem-wide approach is vital to protect fleets, infrastructure, and passengers in a world where every connection is a potential risk.
The FAA has released a proposed rule that would require most U.S. aircraft to upgrade their radio altimeters to withstand 5G interference. This change will affect not only airlines and business jets, but also future advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft that rely on precise low‑altitude height data for safe urban operations.