AAM coordination and leadership law signed to orchestrate next-generation air mobility

Stakeholders in next-generation aircraft development and their future activity have hailed the signing of the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act into law by President Joe Biden, calling it a milestone in the effort to launch and expand AAM services across the US.

The bill cleared both houses of Congress earlier this year, and had been awaiting Biden’s signature to come into force. According to the White House announcement on it becoming law, the measure “requires the Secretary of Transportation to establish an advanced air mobility (AAM) interagency working group to: review and examine factors that will allow the maturation of the AAM ecosystem within the U.S.; and develop an AAM National Strategy.” 

There has been some concern that while much attention has been turned to the futuristic, emission-free craft that companies like Joby, Archer, Wisk, and others have been working toward certification and later launch, not enough effort has been made at the federal level to define and orchestrate the way AAM will function once tech is ready to enable it. 

The Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act was introduced last year to address those fears.

Read: FAA releases AAM vertiport guidelines for future air taxi operations 

The new law aims to facilitate collaboration between federal agencies and civil aviation industry officials in their overlapping efforts to define and apply policies governing AAM. To do that the Department of Transportation is to lead a group made up of staffers from nine government agencies to interface and collaborate with representatives of companies and organizations across US aviation sector.

As part of that, the working group will both recommend and review policies framing AAM development and activity, and help guide decisions on safety, security, and government investment required to permit the growth and expansion of new, sustainable urban aerial transportation.

Read: Wisk and Boeing unveil UAM operational roadmap for future air taxis 

Individuals, companies, and politicians involved with preparations for emerging AAM craft and services applauded the measure finally becoming law, and called it an historical event for US and global aviation.

“With the signing of the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act into law, we bear witness to a significant day for the growth of advanced air mobility, which will facilitate additional transportation options, create jobs, stimulate economic activity and competitiveness, advance environmental sustainability, foster further advancement in aerospace technology, and support emergency preparedness,” declared Pete Bunce, president the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. “We are hopeful that the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act, which had overwhelming bipartisan Congressional support, will spur federal government departments and agencies to work collaboratively and aggressively towards the development of a national strategy for the integration of advanced air mobility vehicles into the national airspace system.” 

Photo: René DeAnda/Unsplash