The conversation around vertiports is fundamentally changing, according to Lisa Wright, founder of Landings, who has observed a significant shift in market awareness over the past six months. Property owners now arrive with foundational understanding, asking specific questions about infrastructure feasibility and partnership structures rather than needing explanations of what vertiports are. This change signals that the vertiport category is moving past conceptual discussion toward operational planning.
Wright noted that property owners understand Joby’s test flights, the existence of multiple aircraft manufacturers, and that vertiports are coming. This awareness reflects converging market signals: Joby’s publicized test flights provided visible proof that passenger eVTOL aircraft work, while Walmart’s drone delivery expansion into rural Texas and Georgia demonstrated that distributed aerial logistics can generate real revenue. Traditional aviation infrastructure players, including fixed-base operators, are announcing vertiport plans, and state and federal agencies have shifted from debate mode to infrastructure planning.
Site selection is evolving beyond basic feasibility. Earlier conversations focused on whether properties could technically support vertiports, but current discussions center on structuring partnerships, infrastructure requirements, and how multimodal revenue streams affect project economics. Landings’ feasibility platform has processed hundreds of property submissions, revealing patterns in site viability. Distributed energy solutions combining solar generation and battery storage have opened doors that grid-dependent analysis initially closed, making previously dismissed properties viable when energy infrastructure planning accounts for multimodal charging serving aircraft, drones, school buses, and municipal fleets simultaneously.
“What surprised us is how many sites became viable once we solved for the energy side,” Wright explained. “Early analysis showed scores of 25-38 as best-case scenarios based purely on grid access. Once we developed distributed energy solutions, we could work with far more properties.” The platform now serves as a real-time sales tool, allowing Wright to deliver viability assessments in minutes rather than weeks.
One consistent surprise in property owner conversations is the physical scale difference between vertiports and traditional airports. A small upstate New York airport spans 420 acres with a 4,000-foot runway, while Long Island Airport requires 1,200 acres. In contrast, the largest proposed vertiport in Landings’ network runs 20 acres maximum. This size efficiency enables distributed networks: one site every 30 miles across the same geography where traditional aviation infrastructure would support only one centralized airport. “We’re trying to keep them small because we want to deploy so many of them,” Wright noted. “A distributed network of smaller sites versus a regional airport model fundamentally changes which communities can access aviation infrastructure.”
Industry conversations Wright has participated in provide context on aircraft manufacturer timelines. Joby appears to be progressing ahead of other manufacturers toward FAA certification, potentially within the next six months. Archer is targeting early 2027, while some competitors have extended timelines toward 2028. For property owners, the implication is that aircraft manufacturers are advancing toward certification; the question isn’t whether eVTOL operations arrive, but when. Properties that develop infrastructure now position for operational readiness when certification arrives, while properties waiting until after certification face 8-12 months of infrastructure development while early movers already operate.
“The window for first-mover positioning is measured in months,” Wright said. “Not because we know exact certification dates, but because the infrastructure development required means property owners need to start now regardless of specific timelines.” Joby’s visible success has changed market perception faster than industry projections predicted. Property owners no longer ask “will this work?” but instead ask “when will this work?” and “how do I participate?” The visibility has also raised awareness about other aircraft types, including light sport aircraft for emergency medical, firefighting, and search-and-rescue missions, as well as cargo drones. Infrastructure prepared now can serve multiple aircraft types and use cases, with multimodal sites serving whatever aircraft and operations make economic sense once operational.
The market awareness shift Wright observes points to a genuine inflection. Property owners moving from “what is this?” to “how do I participate?” signals category maturation. The industry is moving from the education phase to deployment phase, creating urgency for property owners and infrastructure developers to act within months, not years.
