By Philip Butterworth-Hayes
California’s Caltrans “Advanced Air Mobility Infrastructure Readiness and Three-Year Implementation Work Plan 2026 report”, recently published, highlights some of the infrastructure challenges, alongside the opportunities, facing the US states as they prepare for advanced air mobility operations.
“California’s existing public use airport and intermodal transportation system offers broad opportunities for AAM operation,” says the report. “While these facilities can be leveraged to support forthcoming AAM operations during its early stages, they may be constrained by location, site geometry, capacity, airspace, community impacts, and other considerations.”
Financing will be a major challenge, according to the report.
“California faces significant funding challenges in preparing for AAM deployment. No current FAA grant programs cover AAM-specific infrastructure, and federal agencies have yet to establish long-term funding criteria or dedicated programs. At the same time, airports must plan for potential increases in electrical load demands while also contending with flat or declining aviation fuel tax revenue, which continues to be the primary source of aviation funding. Because existing funding structures were designed to support conventional aviation activities, many are not well suited to support the new infrastructure, utility coordination, and planning needs associated with early AAM adoption. Without additional funding pathways, airports—especially general aviation airports—may be unable to make timely upgrades, resulting in uneven readiness, project delays, and missed opportunities for statewide mobility and economic benefits.”
The report also highlighted some of the challenges to developing AAM infrastructure beyond legacy aviation sites. These include: disproportionate environmental effects to environmental justice/equity challenged communities, such as displacement; equity of access to AAM infrastructure, so that it is available, and beneficial to all Californians; monopolization of AAM infrastructure ownership and operations. 8
“Caltrans has identified equity as central to transportation system planning. As AAM is integrated into California’s multimodal transportation system, it will be important to understand, evaluate, and implement proposed infrastructure and operations in a manner that reflects state equity considerations.”
The advisory panel behind the strategy has proposed a work plan to support the initiation of AAM development in California during a three-year timeframe.. Workplan highlights include the following tasks:
- Review relevant statutes in the Public Utilities Code (State Aeronautics Act) and regulations related to address AAM.
- Review the state’s transportation plans and guidelines, such as the California Transportation Plan and the California Airport Land Use Compatibility Handbook, for necessary updates.
- Identify energy and infrastructure needs and funding opportunities for AAM related infrastructure and business development to assist California’s airports.
- Conduct community and public outreach, engaging with local and regional planning agencies, and developing best practices to assist AAM planning and evaluation at the local level.
- Establish AAM forums between state agencies, and with OEMs, and industry professionals into pursuit of the State’s goals of advancing AAM and zero emission aviation.
- AAM has the potential to introduce aviation operations to new, non-airport locations and pose new challenges to transportation and social equity.
For more information
Advanced Air Mobility Infrastructure Readiness and Three-Year Implementation Work Plan