Updated guidance addresses critical infrastructure needs, including landing areas, charging infrastructure, and seamless airport integration, as advanced air mobility moves steadily toward commercial operations.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released updated draft design standards for facilities supporting vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The proposal marks another vital step toward building the robust physical and operational infrastructure needed for advanced air mobility (AAM) operations across the United States.
Announced on October 22, the comprehensive draft covers facilities that will serve a wide array of aircraft, including traditional helicopters, emerging powered-lift aircraft, and other innovative VTOL vehicles. The initiative is specifically designed to help airport operators, private developers, and local infrastructure providers effectively plan and construct facilities tailored to these emerging aircraft technologies.
"The next generation of aircraft is here, and we are ensuring we have the infrastructure built to support safe takeoffs and landings for them across the National Airspace System," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. "These aircraft have tremendous potential to generate new jobs, connect communities, and strengthen American leadership in aviation."
Standards for the Next Generation of Aircraft
The proposed guidance represents a major consolidation of federal regulatory frameworks, combining earlier FAA design standards for heliports and vertiports into a single, unified framework.
The draft addresses several key infrastructure requirements that are fundamental to the future of urban and regional air transportation. These include precise specifications for landing and takeoff areas, safety zones, visual and navigational aids, and the specialized charging infrastructure required to power electric and hybrid-electric vertical flight aircraft.
These standards address a very practical, immediate challenge facing the broader AAM industry. Aviation experts have long noted that aircraft certification alone will not be enough to enable widespread commercial operations. Beyond obtaining airworthiness approvals from regulators, commercial operators also need suitable landing facilities and supporting ground infrastructure that can safely accommodate new aircraft designs, manage increased passenger flows, and integrate smoothly into existing transportation networks.
By establishing clear guidelines now, the FAA aims to prevent fragmented infrastructure development and ensure that future vertiports can operate safely and efficiently alongside traditional aviation traffic.
Public Comment and Next Steps
The draft document, officially designated as Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5390-4, Vertical Flight Aircraft Infrastructure Design, is slated to replace the FAA’s existing heliport advisory circular as well as its 2024 vertiport engineering brief. This consolidation is expected to streamline the planning process for municipal planners and private developers alike.
To ensure that the final standards reflect the practical realities of the aviation and construction industries, the FAA is actively accepting public comments on the draft through January 11, 2027. In addition to the written comment period, the agency has scheduled a virtual Industry Day on November 10, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The virtual event will provide stakeholders with an opportunity to discuss the proposed standards, ask questions, and provide preliminary feedback directly to agency officials.
Following the close of the comment period and the review of industry feedback, the FAA expects to issue its final guidance in the summer of 2027. Furthermore, the agency plans to utilize real-world operational data gathered from its ongoing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program to inform future updates and refinements to the standards.
Ultimately, the proposed standards are expected to provide airport operators, municipal planners, and private developers with a much more consistent framework for facility planning, paving the way for the safe, orderly, and efficient commercial deployment of advanced air mobility across the national airspace.
