The advanced air mobility sector has long focused on aircraft certification as its primary hurdle, but according to Lisa Wright, founder of Landings, the real bottleneck is vertiport infrastructure. Wright, who is building a vertiport network across rural North America, argues that ground infrastructure development is both more urgent and time-consuming than the industry has acknowledged, drawing a parallel to the electric vehicle industry's early struggles.
Just as automakers produced EVs faster than charging networks could support them, advanced air mobility is following a similar path with added complexities. Vertiport development requires land agreements, community approvals, utility connections, and energy assessments, each taking years. "All the focus was on the aircraft, which gave time to build the thesis and have conversations," Wright explained. Without prepared landing sites, commercial service cannot begin even after aircraft are certified.
Energy infrastructure is the most underappreciated constraint, particularly for rural or semi-rural locations. Grid connections can take years to establish, and off-grid solar and battery systems require long procurement timelines. Some operators are exploring mobile charging units as a temporary bridge. "Energy is still the real bottleneck," Wright says. "Sometimes the timeline on getting that equipment can be longer than expected."
Operators who started vertiport development early hold a permanent advantage, as new entrants cannot quickly match the community engagement and regulatory navigation already completed. The FAA's EIPP program is launching operations this summer, and manufacturers need ready sites. Wright emphasizes that in a sector where certification timelines keep shifting, the ability to offer prepared landing sites is the most durable competitive position.
For property owners, the implication is clear: when commercial operations begin, service will flow to locations where infrastructure already exists. Landings is building a network of 2,000+ rural vertiports through revenue-sharing partnerships with commercial property owners.
