Leading aircraft manufacturers and operators expect to begin operating advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft at some U.S. airports within the next two years, flying fixed, low-volume routes to specific vertiports, according to a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.1
A report on the study, released in late October, said that initial AAM service will operate “more like traditional helicopters,” flying from an airport to a number of vertiports, “rather than an on-demand air taxi system serving an entire urban area.” That initial service will be a prelude to more widespread AAM flights later in the decade, including airport ground access, connecting passenger service between regional and hub airports, and cargo operations, the report said.
The report noted that, in interviews and a survey, airport representatives responding to the survey did not foresee any significant safety challenges associated with integrating AAM air…
