“The AAM [Advanced Air Mobility] Roundtable has been very successful in connecting key policymakers with this exciting industry,” said Ed Bolen, president and CEO of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), in a press release announcing the roundtable’s first anniversary.
NBAA launched its roundtable last year as a forum for eVTOL companies to discuss issues such as airport access, airspace management, local community engagement, and other critical priorities in order to integrate AAM into U.S. airspace and transportation infrastructure. Founding members of the roundtable included Eve Air Mobility, Hillwood Aviation, Hyundai, Joby Aviation, Lilium, and Wisk.
Reflecting on what the organization called a year of important milestones for the sector, NBAA said it has worked with Congress and federal agencies to help address challenging infrastructure and operational issues.
In December, House Aviation Subcommittee Chair Rick Larsen and Subcommittee Ranking Member Garret Graves introduced the Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization Act to help plan and develop AAM infrastructure, such as vertiports.
NBAA said it continues to work with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to help advance AAM, including coordinating and providing input to the FAA on draft vertiport guidance, and hosting meetings with FAA leaders and AAM Roundtable members.
The organization is also working with congressional committee staff to ensure that AAM is represented at Capitol Hill hearings, and meeting with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials to educate regulators on best practices for future AAM operations.
In addition, NBAA said it is holding regular roundtable meetings to identify top industry issues for consideration as part of the FAA Reauthorization on Oct. 1, 2023.
“NBAA is thrilled to be involved in the continued development of AAM,” Bolen said. “We thank our roundtable partners for all their efforts over the past year, and look forward to the exciting work ahead.”
