FAA Issues Proposed eVTOL Vertiport Design Standards

While most of the attention on advanced air mobility has naturally centered on the aircraft involved, the FAA has set proposed design standards for the ground facilities that will serve them through a new advisory circular (AC). The agency announced the proposed rules last Friday, a few weeks in advance of an online industry day Nov. 10 (register here) in which they will be presented to stakeholders. The package is enormously detailed and covers hundreds of pages with diagrams for everything from downwash protection areas to ramp markings. The new standards will supersede those for existing heliports.

“Based on FAA research into the performance of various vertical flight aircraft, the draft AC advances performance-based guidance for facilities serving helicopters and powered-lift aircraft,” the letter to stakeholders says. The document is seen as a major milestone toward integration of new vertically-capable aircraft into the National Airspace System (NAS). Comments will be accepted until Jan. 11, 2027 at vertiports@faa.gov

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