A panel of advanced air mobility (AAM) experts convened on October 22 at the NBAA-BACE business aviation trade show in Las Vegas to discuss the evolving landscape of the sector and the steps necessary to scale electric and hybrid-electric aircraft operations.
Industry leaders representing key stakeholders in the sector's ecosystem focused on day-one operations, infrastructure challenges, regulatory requirements, and the potential for market expansion as these technologies move from concept to commercial viability.
Sebastien Borel, chief commercial officer of Lilium, outlined a strategy for the initial introduction of AAM. “When we looked at how to best introduce aircraft, we looked at the existing market,” Borel said. “We looked at the helicopter and private jet market, and that's what we're going after to introduce our aircraft.” By targeting routes already frequented by helicopters and private jets, Lilium hopes to simplify early-stage operations, leveraging familiar airspace and ground infrastructure.
This early operational strategy, according to Borel, allows Lilium to tap into infrastructure already in place, such as FBOs and municipal airports. “We could work with the FBOs, the existing infrastructure. We just have to add a charger,” he explained. Borel also noted that Lilium’s aircraft fits within the dimensions of 95% of the world’s helipads, allowing for a broad range of operational locations without requiring significant changes to existing infrastructure.
Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of Beta Technologies, a Vermont-based developer of electric aircraft, provided a detailed look at how his company is setting the groundwork for scalable AAM operations by building out a nationwide charging network. Beta Technologies, already operating military missions, is laying the foundation for commercial use by deploying chargers across airports in the U.S.
“We went down to Duke Field in the Eglin Air Force Complex, and we flew 92 missions, 200 sorties, and 1,000 takeoffs and landings,” Clark said. While not commercial, these test flights are laying the groundwork for what will be full-scale operations in the near future.
Clark suggested that approximately 800 chargers nationwide will be necessary to support the electric aviation industry in the U.S. “By the end of the year, 61 airports [will be] online and over 100 chargers online at airports,” he said, explaining the urgency of building infrastructure before aircraft enter widespread commercial service. He noted that airports are already using the chargers for non-obvious purposes, such as powering electric vehicles on the ground.
Marc Allen, CEO of Electra Aero, highlighted the regulatory hurdles that AAM companies must overcome to achieve commercial viability. According to Allen, while technological progress is important, the regulatory landscape will play a critical role in determining how quickly advanced air mobility can scale.
“If you look around the U.S. today, 70% of traffic goes through 30 airports,” Allen said, referring to the hub-and-spoke model dominating U.S. air travel. “What kind of regulatory change is necessary to enable direct aviation?” he asked, pointing to the need for reforms to make point-to-point air travel more accessible to consumers.
Electra, which is developing a hybrid-electric fixed-wing aircraft, aims to provide a viable option for short-haul routes of up to 100 nm. Allen highlighted that smaller regional airports—many of which are underutilized—could play a key role in AAM’s scalability. He noted that regulatory reform could also help keep airports open that might otherwise face closure due to noise concerns, adding, “Quiet operations will be still operating out of airports that are now able to stay open because they're not getting shut down [due to] the aviation noise pissing off the neighbors.”
Borel echoed the importance of regulatory alignment, particularly on a global scale. “The issue is on the infrastructure. It's a national authority regulation, but each country—France, Germany, and the UK, for example—has to have their own infrastructure regulation,” he said.
While panelists agreed that infrastructure development is crucial, they also stressed the importance of scaling aircraft production to meet anticipated demand. Clark spoke about Beta Technologies’ ambitious plans to ramp up production. “We've been trusted with a boatload of dough to go and build a factory,” Clark said. “We built a factory that's capable of doing 300 aircraft per year.”
Clark underscored the significant operational cost savings that electric aircraft can provide, a point likely to attract business aviation operators. “$700 in fuel is equivalent to $17 of electricity,” Clark said, comparing the energy costs of flying a conventional aircraft with those of Beta’s electric aircraft. He argued that this reduction in energy costs, combined with environmental benefits, will make electric aviation attractive to a wider range of operators in the coming years.
Tony Lefebvre, CEO of Signature Aviation, touched on the role of airports and FBOs in supporting AAM operations. “Once infrastructure and scale happens, there's going to be thousands of these locations,” he said, adding that the “whole value proposition” of AAM is the proximity of the vehicles to where passengers want to be picked up.
While there is ample capacity to handle initial AAM demand, scaling up infrastructure will require forward-thinking planning, particularly as AAM aircraft begin to serve urban centers and areas closer to where consumers live and work.
Jeff Foland, CEO of the FBO megachain Atlantic Aviation, agreed with this long-term view, emphasizing that infrastructure development must keep pace with the growing number of AAM aircraft. “We're not here to choose winners,” he said. “We hope everyone wins. But the idea is how to secure the right types of power, and some of the right infrastructure already exists. We can build more from that point forward.”
He added that while electrification technology is advancing quickly, there will be a need for multiple types of infrastructure, including both electric and hydrogen-based systems, depending on the application.
As the AAM industry moves toward commercial operations, the potential impact on business aviation is becoming clearer. Panelists repeatedly referenced the integration of AAM into existing business aviation infrastructure, suggesting that the transition could be relatively smooth. “We're setting the table for that world day one,” Clark said, noting that the foundational infrastructure—particularly for charging—will support not only AAM but also broader electrification efforts within the aviation industry.