Bloomberg Businessweek Podcast Summary

Episode: A National Strategy for Advanced Air Mobility
Date: December 24, 2025
Hosts: Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec
Guest: Lisa Wright, Founder and CEO of Landings

Episode Overview

In this episode, Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec discuss the emerging sector of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), focusing on the national strategy for deploying electric vertical takeoff and landing (EVTOL) aircraft. They are joined by Lisa Wright, Founder and CEO of Landings, a company developing a network of landing and ground operations (vertiports) for EVTOLs, to talk about regulatory challenges, infrastructure hurdles, energy requirements, business models, and the overall vision for AAM in the U.S.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Global Regulatory Landscape

• China and Middle East Lead Adoption

  • China is already carrying passengers with EVTOLs.
  • The Middle East is expected to follow, with the U.S. trailing but catching up.
  • Quote: “The first passenger carrying EVTOLs will happen in the Middle East. It won't happen here in the US. Is that still the case?” —Host (03:40)
  • Response: “That is still the case. I mean, they are carrying passengers in China, but the Middle East will be next. And then the US is coming pretty close behind.” —Lisa Wright (03:52)

• U.S. Regulatory Progress

  • The FAA has streamlined certification and created new pilot training for EVTOLs.
  • U.S. is not at a regulatory disadvantage; the pace is improving.
  • Quote: “The FAA has been working very hard...They've streamlined and done a lot of fast tracking and changed the training for pilots...” —Lisa Wright (04:06)

• Infrastructure Excitement Abroad

  • Dubai and UAE prioritized infrastructure, giving them a head start over the U.S.

2. Infrastructure Challenges and Solutions

• Energy is the Bottleneck

  • Access to sufficient energy is the main challenge, more so than land acquisition.
  • Competing quietly with data centers for energy in key areas.
  • Landings employs specialists to navigate utilities and energy financing.
  • Quote: “Charging is our number one issue really. Finding land is great, we can do that. But getting the energy out...there's a lot of attention being paid to EV networks right now that aren't necessarily succeeding.” —Lisa Wright (04:53)

• Alternative Energy Options

  • Off-grid, solar-powered vertiports are feasible—1–2 megawatts per site via 5–10 acres of solar panels.
  • Battery systems can support peak demand for charging EVTOLs, especially in sunny regions.
  • Quote: “Absolutely. So we use about 1 or 2 megawatts of energy and you can get that from 5 to 10 acres of solar...store it with the battery and then we can exactly use it for the peak when or the demand when they land and need it.” —Lisa Wright (05:50)
  • Grid connection will still be in place in most locations.

• Vertiport Scale and Cost

  • Landings is building a practical, micro-vertiport network to avoid massive costs.
  • The plan: 2,000 vertiports covering diverse uses (agriculture, entertainment, casinos, airports, medical response).
  • Most vertiports will be small (about 1.5 acres) and not all will have charging, but the network will be dense enough to ensure landing/charging within 30 minutes from any point.
  • Quote: “A lot of the vertiports that you see right now, they're very fancy. I call them Zaha Hadid buildings...We're going to not make them cost a lot of money.” —Lisa Wright (06:29)

3. Air Traffic Control & Airspace Management

• Existing air traffic control (ATC) systems are overwhelmed; EVTOLs will mostly fly at different altitudes using new communications tech.
• Nonprofit NewAir in Syracuse is developing a separate traffic management system for EVTOLs and drones, focusing on 1,000 miles of dedicated airspace in New York.
• In rural areas, collision/conflict risk is minimal; in controlled airport zones, standard communication protocols apply.
• Quote: “Because of the altitude that these craft fly in...they do not have to use the existing air traffic control systems. There's a company, a nonprofit in Syracuse called NewAir that is working on having all the demand for the airspace for heavy drones and EVTOLs.” —Lisa Wright (07:46)

4. Business Model and Real Estate Partnerships

• Landings utilizes options contracts rather than outright property acquisition or traditional leasing, akin to the cell tower model.
• The company covers feasibility, engineering, construction, and equipment financing, then shares revenue with property owners.
• Quote: “We're getting an option. It's much like a cell tower...once we're operating, then we'll share the revenue with them.” —Lisa Wright (09:02)

5. Shifting Industry Focus & Near-Term Outlook

• The biggest industry change in the past month: a shift from single vertiport projects to interconnected network thinking.

• Networks are essential for EVTOL market scalability and utility.

• Quote: “The biggest change in the last month? Everybody stopped focusing on individual vertiport. Yeah. Started talking about the network, which is really key for especially EVTOLs...you have to have a lot of locations.” —Lisa Wright (09:30)

• Vision for the Next Five Years

  • Lisa Wright predicts most people will have tried an EVTOL flight within five years.
  • Quote: “What's the vision five years from now? I believe everybody would have at least tried one.” —Lisa Wright (10:08)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• (03:52) Lisa Wright:
  “They are carrying passengers in China, but the Middle east will be next. And then the US Is coming pretty close behind.”

• (04:53) Lisa Wright:
  “Charging is our number one issue really. Finding land is great, we can do that. But getting the energy out.”

• (06:29) Lisa Wright:
  “A lot of the vertiports that you see right now, they're very fancy. I call them Zaha Hadid buildings...We're going to not make them cost a lot of money...They're about, you know, an acre and a half is the minimum space we need.”

• (07:46) Lisa Wright:
  “Because of the altitude that these craft fly in...they do not have to use the existing air traffic control systems.”

• (09:30) Lisa Wright:
  “Everybody stopped focusing on individual vertiport. Yeah. Started talking about the network, which is really key for especially EVTOLs...you have to have a lot of locations.”

• (10:08) Lisa Wright:
  “What's the vision five years from now? I believe everybody would have at least tried one.”

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 03:03 – China and Middle East lead in EVTOLs; U.S. regulatory catch-up
• 04:06–04:53 – FAA’s role and infrastructure as prime challenge
• 05:38–06:15 – Renewable, off-grid vertiport energy potential
• 06:29–07:25 – Vertiport business model, scaling, and use cases
• 07:25–08:58 – Air traffic management and airspace challenges
• 09:02–09:25 – Real estate agreements for vertiports
• 09:30–10:08 – Industry shift to network focus, outlook for next five years

Conclusion

This episode provides a comprehensive look at the future of advanced air mobility in the U.S., emphasizing the imperative for robust infrastructure, the evolution of airspace management, and scalable business partnerships. Lisa Wright’s optimism about rapid public adoption of EVTOLs contrasts with current regulatory and practical hurdles, but points to a near future where flying taxis could become a routine option for many Americans.