The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently released an updated plan for airspace and procedure changes designed to accommodate future air taxis and other Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations.
The agency developed the plan with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and industry stakeholders.
“The operational blueprint is a key step — along with certifying the aircraft and pilots — in the FAA’s effort to safely usher in and support this next era of aviation,” the agency said. “The blueprint aims to provide a common frame of reference to the FAA, NASA, and industry to help guide their research and decision-making.”
AAM operations are expected to begin with air taxis flying at a low rate like helicopters do today. AAM vehicles would use existing infrastructure, such as helipads and early vertiports. They also would use existing routes, and pilots would communicate with air traffic controllers when necessary.
After operations increase, air taxis would fly in corridors between major airports and vertiports in city centers. Over time, corridors would evolve from single one-way paths to routes serving multiple flows of aircraft flying in both directions. The corridors would link an increasing number of routes between vertiports.
As aircraft technology evolves, the FAA expects aircraft automation and real-time data sharing between aircraft will increase.