Hanneke Weitering is a writer and editor with AIN covering advanced air mobility and new flight technologies. She became an aviation journalist and joined the AIN team in the summer of 2022 after reporting on spaceflight and astronomy for six years at Space.com. After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she moved to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in science, health, and environmental reporting at New York University&#039;s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. She is now based in Seattle near Boeing Field and spends her free time exploring nature in the Pacific Northwest.

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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s release of an advanced air mobility (AAM) roadmap for the next decade has drawn accolades from across the nation’s aviation industry, including several leading developers of electric and autonomous aircraft.&nbsp;
Drafted by the federal government’s AAM Interagency Working Group and <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-launches-first-ever-national-advanced">published online</a> on December 17—the 122nd anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight—the strategy document sets forth 40 policy recommendations organized into six pillars: airspace, infrastructure, security, community planning and engagement, workforce, and automation.&nbsp;A concurrently published comprehensive action plan translates those recommendations into a sequence of action items, including the formation of a White House-led interagency working group responsible for implementing the national strategy, tracking progress, and coordinating budgets.&nbsp;
“Today is a landmark moment for advanced air mobility,” said Marc Allen, CEO of Electra, a Virginia-based start-up developing electric short-takeoff-and-landing airplanes. “We applaud the administration’s visionary leadership in navigating the most significant shift in aviation in a generation.”
Part of the DOT’s roadmap is the <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2025-09-15/us-evtol-start-ups-join-white-house-pilot-program">eVTOL Integration Pilot Program</a> (eIPP) that the White House directed the FAA to launch in an executive order issued earlier this year. Competing eVTOL developers Joby, Archer, and Beta plan to participate in the eIPP. Following the release of the national strategy, Archer announced plans to submit multiple applications under the eIPP to operate in several states, including California, Florida, and New York.
“We’re past the question of ‘if’ and firmly into ‘when and how,’” said Archer CEO Adam Goldstein. “Through our close work with the Administration, DOT, FAA, and other federal agencies, we now have the clearest path to market this industry has ever had. The focus now is execution—building, deploying, and flying these aircraft here in the United States.”
“This strategy is tangible proof that the U.S. government recognizes the value of the AAM industry,” commented Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt. “It’s a powerful signal that our federal government, in coordination with state, local, and tribal communities, is prepared to usher in the next generation of U.S. leadership in aviation.”
Per the new roadmap, demonstrations and early operations with “contemporary aircraft” such as eVTOL air taxis should begin by 2027 and scale to multiple urban and rural areas in 2030. Then more advanced autonomous aircraft such as Wisk’s pilotless, four-passenger eVTOL air taxi will enter the scene by 2035.&nbsp;
According to Wisk, which is owned by Boeing, the national strategy and eIPP represent “the essential pathway for achieving early commercial operations of its autonomous Gen 6 aircraft,” a pilotless eVTOL air taxi that <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2025-12-16/wisks-gen-6-autonomous-air-taxi-makes-first-flight">achieved its first test flight</a> earlier this month.&nbsp;
“The release of this national strategy is a historic and pivotal moment for the entire AAM industry and for the future of U.S. aerospace leadership. For Wisk, the Strategy recognizes that autonomy is the key to unlocking the full potential of AAM," said Wisk CEO Sebastien Vigneron. “Autonomy can enhance safety, facilitate scaling to meet public demand, and help reduce operational costs. This federal recognition aligns with our mission, and we’re eager to prove out our technologies.”
Reliable Robotics, a flight automation start-up modifying legacy aircraft with autonomous flight control systems, also lauded the release of the DOT’s national strategy.&nbsp;
“The 2025 National AAM Strategy creates the roadmap for how the U.S. wins the autonomy race,” commented Reliable Robotics co-founder and CEO Robert Rose. “FAA-certified aircraft autonomy will prevent the most common causes of aviation accidents, connect small towns and rural communities, and provide transformational contested logistics capabilities to our warfighters.”
<h2>Industry Associations Approve</h2>
Support for the national strategy also came from the more conventional side of the aviation industry, drawing praise from the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Vertical Aviation International (VAI), and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA).&nbsp;
Matt Byrd, vice chair of NBAA’s board of directors and president &amp; CEO of Hillwood Aviation, spoke at an event held at the DOT to unveil the agency’s AAM national strategy. “These aircraft will bring enormous benefits to the U.S.—more manufacturing, more exports and jobs, greater mobility, and an improved ability to access remote locations,” he said.&nbsp;
François Lassale, president and CEO of VAI, said the national strategy “provides a clear, coordinated vision for integrating new vertical aviation capabilities safely and responsibly.”&nbsp;
“This strategy will ensure that the U.S. will be a global leader in AAM through the sector’s integration into the national airspace system with a focus on adapting and improving infrastructure; strengthening the aviation workforce; adapting and improving infrastructure; expanding security, safety, and automation; and furthering community planning and engagement,” commented GAMA president and CEO James Viola. “The growth of the AAM sector will facilitate additional transportation options, create jobs, stimulate economic activity and competitiveness, and foster further advancement in aerospace technology.”
“AAM has the potential to serve as a catalyst for new aviation services and connections, extending aviation’s reach to more communities,” added NATA president and CEO Curt Castagna. “Realizing that potential will require thoughtful coordination across government and industry, with careful attention to infrastructure, energy, communications, and integration into existing airspace. Forward-looking regulatory and operational frameworks, supported by specialized expertise and operational experience, will be essential to balancing innovation with safety, scalability, and long-term success.”

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In this article

Archer Aviation

Beta Technologies

Electra

Joby Aviation

Reliable Robotics

Wisk Aero

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