Orlando, Florida, is racing to be one of the first cities to establish advanced air mobility (AAM) services that are expected to begin in about two years, local officials and business aviation representatives said last week at the NBAA regional forum at Orlando Executive Airport (KORL). Meanwhile, FBO chains outlined plans for vertiports during the AAM session at the NBAA event.

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen explained that AAM is an opportunity to expand the business aviation industry. “Business aviation is an expert in mobility—it gets people to where they need to be, and when they need to be there, safely, efficiently, and sustainably,” he noted. “It is also a technology incubator for new electric aircraft propulsion systems.”

During the first panel, Greater Orlando Airport Authority CEO Kevin Thibault said that Orlando International Airport (KMCO) has a “future-ready master plan” that includes provisions for eVTOL air service. He added that state and local officials and other stakeholders held a tabletop exercise for AAM late last month with a focus on KMCO. “We tackled things such as where vertiports can be located.”

Jacques Coulon, mobility innovation manager for the city of Orlando, said AAM is a “new paradigm.” He pointed out that people in the areas around KMCO are used to seeing aircraft operations, “but that’s not the case in downtown.” So there is both regulatory and public acceptance work that needs to be done, Coulon noted.

The tabletop exercises help in both regards, he added. “They get into the weeds, such as where are the flight paths and landing sites. There are conversations that need to happen before operations start. We’re determined to not have it happen to us, but with us. These exercises also help to get community buy-in,” he explained.

Thibault expanded on public acceptance, noting that Orlando officials have been very engaged with the community. “When we presented AAM concepts at public meetings, we were really surprised by the response. People wanted more information and there was lots of interest.”

Turning to government, Coulon said, “Our goal is to have policies and land-use regulations in place to allow the AAM industry to flourish. No one will put a bunch of eVTOLs in front of city hall and say, ‘Have at it.’ It takes planning, so these tabletop exercises are essential. For example, what does the process of applying for a vertiport look like? We need to be ready—AAM is coming faster than many may expect.”

According to Thibault, “AAM is a regional solution and has a big use case in Orlando. People flying into Orlando International want to get into downtown, the Port Canaveral cruise port, and theme parks, and AAM can make that happen faster.”

But Coulon envisions a bigger role for Orlando as an AAM regulatory incubator for other cities. “We’re fortunate that we have the resources to think beyond just the day-to-day running of the city and thus able to plan ahead. But not all cities can. The needs of most cities are similar, so we can help them plan for AAM operations. We encourage them to reach out to us for help.”

Infrastructure Taking Shape

With eVTOLs poised to enter service in the next 18 to 24 months, FBO providers Atlantic Aviation and Signature Aviation are actively working to stand up vertiport infrastructure for advanced air mobility (AAM) services, company officials said during the second AAM panel at the NBAA forum. Both companies are seeking to build city-center vertiports while also adapting their FBOs to handle electric aircraft.

“The goal is to build vertiports where the people are,” said Kevin Cox, CEO of Vertiports by Atlantic, a newly created subsidiary following Atlantic’s recent acquisition of vertiport developer Ferrovial. “We’re leading the way in vertiport development and now have four leases in Florida to build vertiports in city environments. AAM isn’t a matter of if, but when, and that when is within two years.”

Cox declined to provide specific locations for these vertiport sites within the Sunshine State. But he did say that vertiport sites can be as small as one acre or as large as two to three acres. “We’ll start with vertiports in big metro cities and then filter down to medium cities,” he added.

“We’re looking to turn this fledgling industry into a booming one,” Cox said. “Our goal is making sure the vertiports are where the people are—high-density areas.”

Signature Aviation is also seeking to install city center vertiports and adapt its FBOs for AAM operations, with a current focus on the latter, according to company CEO Tony Lefebvre. However, he said Signature is not interested in converting downtown parking garages into vertiports, explaining, “This is not our core competency.”

Both FBO executives said they’re taking an “agnostic” approach to electric aircraft charging infrastructure, though Lefebvre would like to see OEMs commit to a common charging system. Cox expanded on the energy grid needs for eVTOLs, noting that cities and airports have well-established utility services that can handle the three- to four-megawatt power needs for electric aircraft charging.

Asked what the top advancements will be for AAM this year, Lefebvre said it will be another year of development occurring in the background. To him, the biggest challenge is how to integrate AAM into congested airports such as Teterboro Airport (KTEB) in northern New Jersey.

Cox was more specific in his response to the same question, noting that Atlantic Aviation will announce and seek zoning approval for vertiports at several sites this year—“some at FBOs and some in city centers,” he said. “We’re really leaning forward here in Florida.”