The FAA has published a document outlining its goal to enable advanced air mobility (AAM) operations at scale at key locations in the U.S. by 2028, part of the agency’s broader plan to safely integrate electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) air taxis into the National Airspace System.

The new document introduces the FAA’s planned Innovate28 (I28) initiative, a joint public-private effort that will culminate in integrated operations with piloted eVTOL air taxis flying between multiple origins and destinations at one or more dedicated locations by 2028. The I28 operations will be “larger in scale” than initial entry-into-service operations currently planned by startup air taxi companies in 2025, the FAA said.

The goal of the I28 program is to generate “leave-behind” learnings related to processes, procedures, infrastructure and “local knowledge” at each of the as-yet-unnamed key sites, with the collective experience gained providing a “repeatable methodology” to guide expanded operations across the country, the agency said. 

“This plan shows how all the pieces will come together, allowing the industry to scale with safety as the North Star,” FAA Deputy Administrator Katie Thompson said in a statement. 

The I28 initiative was announced as part of the agency’s larger AAM Integration Plan, which is intended to serve as a framework that will make entry into service “routine and predictable” by leveraging the use of existing procedures and infrastructure whenever possible, according to an FAA summary. The plan–described by the agency as a “living document”—addresses subjects ranging from certification of aircraft and pilots, management of airspace access, infrastructure development, security needs and community engagement, among other topics.

As part of its implementation plan, the FAA envisions aircraft operating up to 4,000 ft. altitude in Class B and C airspace over urban and metropolitan areas, mostly using existing or modified low-altitude visual flight rules (VFR). Pilots will operate using predetermined flight schedules, maintain two-way radio communication with air traffic control and receive mandatory traffic advisories, safety bulletins and separation services when required, the agency notes. 

In terms of infrastructure, the FAA predicts that AAM services will initially operate at existing heliports, as well as both commercial and general aviation airports, with the planned-for proliferation of dedicated “greenfield” vertiports arriving sometime later. Modifications may be necessary to accommodate charging, parking and taxiing space, as well as upgrades to the electrical power grid. Vertiports must also have a weather station and fire management service capable of responding to electrical or hydrogen-fueled fires. 

The agency adds that vertiports construction will continue to be guided by its Engineering Brief #105, Vertiport Design document, which it says will continue to be updated “over time.”

The FAA’s AAM Implementation Plan is the latest in a recent series of activities by the agency aimed at encouraging U.S. leadership in the emerging sector. It follows the publication of a proposed comprehensive rule outlining powered-lift pilot training and operating requirements in June, and a blueprint describing the agency’s Concept of Operations for early-stage urban air mobility (UAM) services in May.