UAM MARKET PULSE

by AirIndex · airindex.io
ISSUE 2
Week of March 20, 2026
Weekly UAM Intelligence

Welcome to Issue 2 of UAM Market Pulse — a weekly intelligence briefing from AirIndex tracking the cities, regulations, and operators shaping the future of commercial eVTOL in the United States. Each week we surface what moved, what matters, and what to watch.

LEAD STORY

State Legislatures Lift Three Markets — Phoenix, Chicago, Columbus Rise

Three U.S. cities saw their AirIndex Readiness Scores climb this week as state-level legislation advanced through active sessions. Phoenix moved from 35 to 40 on the strength of Arizona SB1457 (air mobility fund) and SB1827 (Office of AAM), both progressing through committee. Chicago rose from 30 to 35 as Illinois HB3190 on unmanned aircraft reached its second reading. Columbus ticked up from 20 to 25 as Joby Aviation's expanding Ohio manufacturing footprint signaled growing operator presence.

Meanwhile, Joby Aviation dominated the operator signal stream with over a dozen events across the San Francisco Bay Area — including the widely covered Golden Gate electric air taxi flight — though San Francisco's score remained at 40 as the city already had operator presence reflected in its index.

Why it matters: State legislatures are emerging as the decisive force in market readiness. Cities in states with active UAM bills are climbing the index — even without local zoning or operator commitments. Arizona, Illinois, and Texas all have bills in motion that could push additional markets higher in the weeks ahead.

MARKET DATA

UAM Readiness Leaderboard — Top 10

# MARKET SCORE TIER CHANGE
1. Dallas, TX 100 ADVANCED —
2. Los Angeles, CA 100 ADVANCED —
3. Orlando, FL 85 ADVANCED —
4. Miami, FL 80 ADVANCED —
5. New York, NY 70 MODERATE —
6. San Diego, CA 45 EARLY —
7. Phoenix, AZ 40 EARLY ↑ +5
8. San Francisco, CA 40 EARLY —
9. Chicago, IL 35 EARLY ↑ +5
10. Las Vegas, NV 35 EARLY —

Average score across all tracked U.S. metro markets: 39.0 · Full index at airindex.io

REGULATORY

What Moved This Week

New York, NY — active Operator Presence
Archer announces air taxi operations with mapped routes in New York City. — Map showing air taxi routes over NYC indicates operator (Archer) has announced or begun operations in New York City.
HIGH · Score updated
San Francisco, CA — active Operator Presence
Joby completes FAA commercial approval flight test in San Francisco Bay Area, confirming active operator presence. — Joby Aviation conducting FAA commercial approval flight tests in Bay Area (San Fran
HIGH · Score updated
San Francisco, CA — has Active Pilot Program
Joby completes piloted eVTOL demonstration flight in San Francisco Bay area, confirming active pilot program and operator presence. — Joby's piloted eVTOL demonstration flight across San Francisco Bay
HIGH · Score updated
New York, NY — has Active Pilot Program
FAA approves air taxi test program in New York City, enabling pilot operations and operator market entry. — Federal FAA approval of air taxi test program in New York City indicates active pilot progra
HIGH · Score updated
Miami, FL — active Operator Presence
Archer Aviation selected for White House pilot program in Florida, New York, and Texas, establishing active operator presence and pilot program status. — Archer Aviation selected for White House pilot
HIGH · Score updated
Charlotte, NC — has Active Pilot Program
North Carolina DOT joins FAA Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program for electric aircraft testing. — North Carolina Department of Transportation joined FAA Advanced Air Mobility Integration P
HIGH · Score updated
INDEX SNAPSHOT

Markets by Tier — March 2026

ADVANCED 75–100 Dallas, TX · Los Angeles, CA · Orlando, FL · Miami, FL 4 markets
MODERATE 50–74 New York, NY 1 market
EARLY 30–49 San Diego, CA · Phoenix, AZ · San Francisco, CA · Chicago, IL · Las Vegas, NV · Austin, TX · Houston, TX 7 markets
NASCENT 0–29 Columbus, OH · Atlanta, GA · Boston, MA · Charlotte, NC · Denver, CO · Minneapolis, MN · Nashville, TN · Seattle, WA · Washington DC, DC 9 markets
LOOKING AHEAD

What to Watch — Next 30 Days

1
Arizona AAM Legislation — Three Bills in Motion
Arizona SB1827 (Office of AAM), SB1819 (vertiport zoning), and SB1826 (AAM appropriation) are all advancing through committee. If enacted, Phoenix could see a significant score jump. Arizona is tracking to become the most legislatively active UAM state after Texas and Florida.
2
Federal Air Taxi Pilot Program — Texas Expansion
Texas was selected as one of 8 states for the federal air taxi pilot program. Houston and Austin are expected to see score adjustments as the program details are confirmed. Dallas already reflects the program at its current 100.
3
Joby FAA Certification — Bay Area Flight Activity
Joby dominated this week's signal stream with over a dozen Bay Area events including the Golden Gate demonstration flight. As Joby approaches Part 135 certification, any FAA milestone will trigger scoring reviews across all Joby-active markets.
4
AirIndex Platform — Score Change Tracking Now Live
The AirIndex dashboard now shows real-time score deltas on every market card and a "Recent Score Changes" section in the Rankings view. Track which markets are moving and by how much — free at airindex.io.
ABOUT AIRINDEX

AirIndex is a UAM market intelligence platform scoring U.S. metro markets on their readiness for commercial eVTOL operations. Scores are updated automatically when qualifying regulatory, legislative, or operator events are detected.

airindex.io · @AirIndexHQ · hello@airindex.io

UAM Market Pulse · AirIndex by Vertical Data Group, LLC · airindex.io   |   Issue 2 · Week of March 20, 2026