UAM Market Readiness Report
Score movements, methodology updates, corridor tracking, and industry analysis across 25 US markets. Published by the AirIndex research team.
Executive Summary
March 2026 was the most active month in AirIndex history. We shipped methodology v1.3 — the most significant scoring recalibration since launch — which elevated State Legislation to the highest-weighted factor and introduced Weather Infrastructure as a new dimension. The result: no market currently scores 100, even as the leaders maintain clear separation from the field.
San Francisco surged 35 points to join the ADVANCED tier after Joby's Electric Skies Tour demo confirmed active pilot program status. Texas markets strengthened across the board as enacted state legislation lifted Austin and Houston 20 points each.
On the industry side, Joby's acquisition of Blade Air Mobility consolidated three top-market terminal networks under one operator, and our FAA heliport data integration added a new infrastructure intelligence layer spanning 5,647 registered heliports.
Score Movements
Market Rankings — March 2026
Scoring Methodology v1.3
Version 1.3 introduces two major changes: State Legislation is now the highest-weighted factor at 20 points, and Weather Infrastructure replaces LAANC as the seventh scoring dimension. All scores are 0-100, computed from seven binary or graduated factors.
Why Weather Infrastructure at 10 points? The USDOT AAM National Strategy documents weather as one of four infrastructure pillars alongside physical, energy, and spectrum. Weather remains the most uncertain and uncontrollable factor that will impact schedule reliability and operator dispatch rates, especially in built-up urban areas where confused winds will impact vertiport vehicle spacing and throughput. Better weather infrastructure will increase weather and wind certainty, contributing to a safer and more efficient airspace and vertiport ecosystem. States are a key enabler in closing the weather infrastructure gap.
No market currently scores full points on Weather Infrastructure, reflecting the absence of comprehensive low-altitude weather sensing networks at scale. This is why even the top-ranked markets — Los Angeles and Dallas — carry a 5-point gap from a perfect score.
Top Stories — March 2026
Corridor Intelligence
Operator Tracker
Heliport Infrastructure — Top 10
FAA NASR 5010 registered heliports by metro area. Markets with dense heliport networks have a potential 12-18 month infrastructure advantage through conversion of existing facilities.
Markets to Watch
April Outlook
State legislative sessions — Multiple states have UAM-related bills in committee. Arizona, Illinois, and Georgia are the ones to watch. Any enacted legislation triggers an automatic 20-point factor change for affected markets.
FAA powered lift rulemaking — The FAA's powered lift SFAR process continues to advance. Any final rule or significant milestone will be reflected in regulatory posture scores across all markets.
Gap analysis engine — AirIndex will launch sub-indicator analysis showing exactly what each market needs to improve its score. This is the tool that turns a readiness score into an actionable roadmap.
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