FAA Seeks Feedback on Draft Standards for Vertical Flight Facilities

On October 22, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released updated draft design standards for infrastructure intended to support Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft and other vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) operations. The proposal is an initial set of design guidance for airport and heliport owners and operators, as well as infrastructure developers. It addresses facilities for aircraft that can take off, hover, and land vertically without a runway, including rotorcraft and helicopters, special class rotorcraft, powered-lift aircraft, and other VTOL vehicles. The FAA is seeking industry and public feedback before publishing final design standards, which it expects in summer 2027.

The proposed guidance covers the physical and operational features needed to plan vertical flight facilities. Core design areas include touchdown and liftoff areas, final approach areas, safety areas, and approach surfaces. The standards also address lighting, markings, perimeter lighting, glideslope indicators, and other visual aids for pilots. For infrastructure planners, these elements connect facility configuration with safe aircraft movement and operations, making the draft relevant to site selection, layout development, construction planning, and future facility investment.

Power and charging provisions are another central part of the draft. The guidance includes requirements for aircraft fueling and electric charging systems for fleets, which means project teams may need to consider energy infrastructure alongside the landing and operating areas. The FAA also addresses how vertical flight infrastructure could be integrated into existing airports without disrupting current operations, as well as design guidelines for touchdown and liftoff areas on suitable rooftops and elevated building structures. These considerations may affect the range of viable sites and the coordination required among airport operators, building owners, developers, and infrastructure providers.

For GovCon stakeholders, the release is an early planning and standards-development signal—not a procurement announcement. The source identifies no contract, solicitation, funding amount, comment deadline, or feedback submission method. Organizations developing facilities can review the proposed design areas and assess implications for engineering, power and charging, airport interfaces, and elevated construction, while recognizing that requirements may change before finalization. The FAA says operational insights and real-world data from the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) will help inform and refine future standards, and that the updated guidance combines previous design guidance for heliports and vertiports. The FAA links the effort to President Trump’s Unleashing Drone Dominance Executive Order and its broader aim of supporting safe integration and U.S. aviation innovation.

• The FAA released the draft on October 22, 2026, to gather industry and public feedback ahead of final standards expected in summer 2027.
• The guidance is intended for airport and heliport owners, operators, and infrastructure developers planning facilities for VTOL aircraft.
• Core layout provisions address touchdown and liftoff areas, final approach areas, safety areas, and approach surfaces.
• Visual-aid topics include markings, perimeter lighting, glideslope indicators, and other aids for pilots.
• Power provisions cover aircraft fueling and electric charging systems for aircraft fleets; project teams can include these needs in early infrastructure assessments.
• Airport integration guidance addresses adding vertical flight infrastructure at existing airports without disrupting current operations.
• Elevated and rooftop provisions cover touchdown and liftoff areas on suitable rooftops and elevated building structures.
• The FAA says real-world operational insights from the eIPP will inform and refine future standards; the draft also combines earlier heliport and vertiport design guidance.
• No contract, solicitation, funding amount, comment deadline, or feedback submission method is specified in the source; firms should treat the release as a planning and standards-development opportunity rather than an active bid.
• FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said: “The next generation of aircraft is here, and we are ensuring we have the infrastructure built to support safe takeoffs and landings for them across the National Airspace System.” He also cited the potential to generate jobs, connect communities, and strengthen American leadership in aviation.