You want to be “vertiport ready” when eVTOLs scale, but your capital plan says otherwise. Between grid upgrades, safety geometry and terminal interfaces and Airport Layout Plan (ALP) updates, a dedicated vertiport can blow through a small or mid‑size airport’s budget before the first commercial flight ever departs. Yet between the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), the Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) program and well‑structured Public‑Private Partnerships (P3s), you already have a playbook to move from PowerPoint concepts to funded infrastructure. This feature traces the evolution of U.S. airport funding, explains how AIP and AIG really work for vertiport‑related projects, and shows how early movers are blending federal dollars with private capital to build the first generation of vertiports.
From Runways To Vertiports: How U.S. Airports Got Funded
Shortly after World War II, the federal government launched a grants‑in‑aid program to accelerate airport development across the country. The Federal Airport Act of 1946 created the Federal‑Aid Airport Program (FAAP), funded directly from the U.S. Treasury, to spur state and local investment in airports.
By 1970, Congress upgraded this model with the Airport and Airway Development Act by introducing the Planning Grant Program (PGP) for airport planning and the Airport Development Aid Program (ADAP) for airport construction and improvement. These new programs were funded from the freshly created Airport and Airway Trust Fund, supported by aviation user taxes on airline fares, air freight and aviation fuel. Before expiring in 1981, PGP and ADAP approved 8,809 grants totaling 4.5 billion dollars.
In 1982, the Airport and Airway Improvement Act established the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), the current foundation of U.S. airport infrastructure funding. AIP, most recently amended by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, continues to draw funds from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, fed by user fees, fuel taxes and similar revenue streams. In 2026 alone, the FAA awarded 960 million dollars under AIP to more than 346 airports for projects to improve runways, airfields and airport facilities.
That legacy matters. As Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) moves from concept to implementation, airport sponsors turn to this existing funding architecture to understand what parts of vertiport development can, and cannot, be pushed through federal programs.
AIP: The Workhorse Program With Vertiport Upside
The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) provides grants to public agencies and, in limited cases, private owners and entities for planning and developing public‑use airports listed in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). The NPIAS identifies nearly 3,300 public‑use airports, including heliports and seaplane bases, describes the roles they serve (commercial service, reliever, public‑owned general aviation) and outlines the development projects eligible for federal funding over the next five years.
To be considered a public‑use airport for AIP eligibility, a facility must be open to the public and either publicly owned, privately owned but designated as a reliever airport, or privately owned with scheduled service and at least 2,500 annual enplanements.
AIP’s funding profile is attractive for cash‑constrained airports. Large and medium primary hub airports typically receive 75 percent federal participation, or 80 percent for noise program implementation. Small primary, reliever and general aviation airports can receive 90 to 95 percent federal cost share, depending on statutory criteria.
On the project side, AIP is designed for capital, not operations. Eligible activities focus on:
- Airfield capital improvements and rehabilitation, especially runways, taxiways, safety enhancements and noise compatibility.
- In some cases, terminals, hangars and non‑aviation development where they meet eligibility criteria.
- Professional services directly tied to eligible projects, such as planning, surveying and design.[
Operational costs, such as salaries, day‑to‑day equipment and supplies, are not eligible under AIP. This is a critical distinction for sponsors considering long‑term vertiport operations versus upfront construction.
Recipients of AIP grants, known as “sponsors,” must be legally and financially capable of meeting a set of grant assurances in their applications and agreements. These obligations include operating and maintaining the airport in a safe and serviceable condition, avoiding exclusive rights, mitigating hazards to airspace and using airport revenue properly.
For vertiports, AIP can be a powerful tool for planning, enabling infrastructure and certain capital improvements, but it is not a blank check for operating a new AAM facility.
AIG: A New, More Flexible Pool Of Vertiport‑relevant Money
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 added another major funding stream: the Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) program. AIG is a non‑competitive, formula‑based program that will funnel 14.5 billion dollars to U.S. airports between Fiscal Year 2022 and Fiscal Year 2026. Of this, up to 2.39 billion dollars is designated for primary airports and up to 500 million dollars for nonprimary airports. The AIG program has already awarded 332 grants worth more than 523 million dollars to airports in 43 states.
Administered by the FAA, AIG targets modernization and passenger experience. The program invests in runways, taxiways, safety and sustainability projects, terminal infrastructure, airport transit connections and even roadway projects. These categories align naturally with the enabling infrastructure required for vertiports, vertihubs and vertipads.
The strategic nuance for AAM is in how AIP and AIG differ in structure, flexibility and use, as indicated in the table below.
| Airport Improvement Program (AIP) | Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) | |
| Funding Origin | Airport and Airway Trust Fund(funded by aviation user taxes) | Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act(IIJA/BIL) via General Fund |
| FundingStructure | Split into strict formula (entitlement) funds and discretionary grants | Primarily non-competitive, automatic annual formula allocations to NPIAS airports |
| ProjectEligibility | Standard airfield focus: runways, taxiways, safety upgrades, and noise mitigation | Broadened focus: standard airfield items plus terminal buildings, transit connections, and roadways |
| CombiningFunds | Strict annual rules; complex to carry over or pool multi-year entitlements | Highly flexible; airports can roll over and combine multiple fiscal years of allocations for a single major project |
| FundExpiration | Expire for use after 3 years (primary) or 4 years (non-primary) | Consistently available for 4 years from the fiscal year they are allocated |
| Fund Transfers | Under specific rules, non-primary entitlements can sometimes be converted or redirected | Strict limitation: AIG allocated funds are airport-sponsor specific and cannot be transferred between sponsors |
For vertiport planners, AIG functions as a more flexible, multi‑year platform to underwrite large, integrated projects that blend airfield, terminal and landside elements. These are exactly the kind of projects serious AAM integration will demand.
The Hard Stop: Why Most Vertiport Dollars Aren’t Federal (Yet)
Airports already use federal programs for vertiport‑related work, but mostly on the planning and conceptual side. Sponsors are tapping AIP and AIG funding for planning studies, feasibility analyses and Airport Layout Plan (ALP) updates that factor in eVTOL operations. Current FAA policy allows planning grants that examine how eVTOLs will integrate into airport environments, including airspace interfaces, ground movement and safety zones.
What these programs are not yet doing at scale is paying for full‑blown vertiport construction. Regulatory uncertainties and market‑readiness concerns still constrain the use of AIP and AIG for dedicated vertiports, vertipads and vertihubs.
Under standard AIP rules, sponsors must maintain a current ALP to qualify for infrastructure grants. Because eVTOL aircraft are treated as “new entrant” technology, forward‑leaning airport sponsors such as the Port of Astoria have begun incorporating Advanced Air Mobility into their federally funded long‑term master plans and ALPs. This is a critical move. While it does not guarantee federal construction dollars, it formally establishes vertiport infrastructure as part of the airport’s future layout, which is a prerequisite for future eligibility.
Recognizing the limits of federal capital for physical vertiport build‑out, many sponsors are pivoting to hybrid models. They are using AIP and AIG for planning and enabling infrastructure, such as grid upgrades, while relying on Public‑Private Partnerships (P3s) and long‑term ground leases for the actual vertiport. Major hubs like Denver International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport already use long‑term ground leases to retain land ownership while private developers finance, construct and operate critical infrastructure, a model now being applied to vertiport concepts.
From Testbed To Vertiport: What’s Actually Being Built
As of summer 2026, vertiport infrastructure is still largely defined by operational testbeds, demonstration mockups and upgraded legacy facilities, rather than dense networks of fully commercial vertiports. Two prominent examples of retrofitted or test‑focused sites are:
- Springfield–Beckley Municipal Airport, Springfield, Ohio
BETA Technologies has constructed a fully functional operational testing, simulation and demonstration platform here, specifically to evaluate eVTOL ground infrastructure. - Downtown Manhattan Heliport, New York City, New York
Blade Urban Air Mobility and Atlantic Aviation have upgraded this existing heliport with electric charging infrastructure, creating a high‑visibility heliport‑to‑vertiport conversion in a demanding urban setting.
In parallel, several locations are moving into permanent, purpose‑built vertiport construction:
- Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wisconsin – Volatus Infrastructure has launched construction on its first permanent eVTOL vertiport.
- Rock Island, Illinois – DIFCO, in partnership with Hughes Aerospace, has broken ground on an aero‑medical vertiport designed for next‑generation emergency and medical use.
- Bellefonte Airport, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania – Volatus Infrastructure is developing a localized vertiport hub near Penn State University.
- Hawthorne Airport, Hawthorne, California – Archer Aviation has secured a 126‑million‑dollar lease to build out its primary California operational hub anchored by vertiport infrastructure.
At the same time, the federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) is using key metropolitan regions as early AAM laboratories:
- Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston, Texas – Managed by TxDOT with Skyports Infrastructure, Joby and Archer as core partners.
- Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Led by FDOT and Archer Aviation, with airport assets managed by Atlantic Aviation.
- Los Angeles and Northern California – Partnerships with Metropolis Technologies are transforming urban parking garages and regional airports into multi‑modal vertiport hubs.
For airport sponsors and municipal decision‑makers, these initiatives offer more than headlines. They provide real‑world templates for blending federal infrastructure funds, existing assets and private capital into workable vertiport business cases.
A Sponsor’s Roadmap: How To Start Funding Your Vertiport
If you are an airport sponsor considering AAM integration, the right move is not to wait for perfect regulatory clarity or fully mature eVTOL fleets. It is to use the policy and funding tools you already have. Here is a practical starting checklist:
Put The Vertipad On Your ALP
Update your Airport Layout Plan to include a proposed vertipad or vertiport. This step, supported by planning grants where appropriate, signals intent, preserves future eligibility and anchors your AAM vision in an FAA‑recognized planning document.
Design to FAA’s EB 105A Geometry From Day One
Use the safety geometry and design criteria in FAA Engineering Brief 105A to shape your vertiport layout, safety areas and approach/departure paths. Aligning early with this guidance reduces redesign risk and positions your project for smoother federal and regulatory review later.
Exploit AIG’s Sustainability Allowances For Grid Upgrades
Assess your electrical grid and supporting infrastructure for high‑intensity charging needs. AIG’s sustainability allowances can fund critical power and resilience upgrades that serve both conventional operations and future eVTOL charging, even before a vertiport is physically constructed.
AIP/AIG for Planning & Enabling Infrastructure, Not Just “Vertiport” Line Items
Target AIP and AIG toward planning, feasibility, ALP updates, safety improvements and backbone assets (runways, taxiways, apron space, and grid improvements) that are clearly eligible and directly beneficial to future AAM operations. This approach lowers the capital burden for your private partner and makes your site more attractive to operators.
Layer in P3s and Long‑term Ground Leases For The Vertiport Itself
Follow the lead of large hubs that retain land ownership but invite private partners to finance, build and operate revenue‑producing infrastructure on long‑term leases. Applying this model to vertiports allows you to use federal funds for enabling infrastructure while the private sector underwrites the specialized facilities and services.
By taking these steps of formalizing your vertiport on the ALP, designing to FAA geometry, using AIG for grid and sustainability, allocating AIP/AIG to foundational upgrades and leveraging P3 structures, you can move from aspirational AAM rhetoric to a realistic, fundable vertiport roadmap. You may never see a single federal grant line labeled “vertiport,” but with a layered approach, you can still get the infrastructure you need without breaking your budget.