Michigan’s AAM Environment: What’s Happening Now — and What’s Next

If you’ve been struggling to keep up with Michigan’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) activity, you’re not alone. With state-led pilots, airport planning, private testbeds, emerging COAs, and corridor concepts moving in parallel, the landscape is expanding quickly. This article provides an orientation to who’s involved, where activity is occurring, and what’s coming next.

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State Framework: Coordination First

Michigan’s AAM strategy is coordinated by the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) in partnership with agencies including the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT and MDOT-AERO), and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). These entities continue to align statewide planning, early-phase BVLOS exploration, COA development support, and corridor feasibility work across Michigan’s aviation network.

Where AAM Is Taking Shape (Active Now)

Hubs of AAM activity are beginning to take place all across the state. Given the diverse range of stakeholders, project parameters, and deliverables, it can be challenging to keep them all straight. Here we’ve outlined many of the efforts that have been taking off across the state — including where early COAs and test operations are emerging:

Lansing (Capital Region International Airport — LAN): Michigan’s first BETA Technologies electric-aircraft charger has been installed, positioning the airport as a downstate electrification node connected to future corridor planning (FlyLansing.com, 2025).

Battle Creek (BTL/MICH-AIR): Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation, regional partners, MEDC, and MDOT-AERO are advancing a large-scale manufacturing and training ecosystem at the MICH-AIR campus — framing Battle Creek as an industry and workforce hub for next-gen aviation. (https://www.mich-air.org/)

Holland (West Michigan Regional — BIV): Readiness efforts include charger installation and governance alignment with local priorities, demonstrating how community-scale airports can operationalize early AAM infrastructure (WestMichiganRegionalAirport.com, 2025).

Grand Rapids (Gerald R. Ford — GRR / FLITE): The FLITE program continues to provide an on-airport testbed and commercialization pathway for mobility startups, making GRR a natural staging ground for AAM pilots that need operational access and evaluation environments. (https://www.grr.org/flite)

Traverse City / Northern Corridor (TVC): Medical logistics and corridor concepts with regional health partners indicate movement toward BVLOS‑ready operations to support rural and critical‑care connectivity. (https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/press-releases/2024/07/17/lt-governor-gilchrist-announces-over-$6-million-to-four-projects)

Upper Peninsula (CIU and near‑border airspace): Command, detection, and BVLOS research activity with university and industry partners positions the EUP as a proving ground for cross-border operations and sparse-area service models (VerticalMag.com, 2025).

Detroit Region (DET/YIP/Aerotropolis): A convergence of industry, logistics, and infrastructure planning is making Detroit a major AAM hotbed. Coleman A. Young (DET) and Willow Run (YIP), together with the Detroit Region Aerotropolis, are aligning charging, MRO, and corridor mapping with freight, manufacturing, and R&D assets. (https://www.detroitaero.org/

Industry & Ecosystem Anchors

Michigan’s private-sector footprint spans charging, digital infrastructure, logistics, inspection, propulsion, and operational services. Active contributors include BETA Technologies (charging network build-out), Airspace Link and Zephyr Systems (mapping/UTM and corridor data), Blueflite / Aerialoop / Zipline (logistics concepts), and Orb Aerospace (turning aircraft into infrastructure).

In addition, several Michigan-based firms hold active FAA COAs supporting real-world operations:

Great Lakes Drone Company — multiple COAs for public-safety support, environmental monitoring, and large-area event operations.

Skypersonic (Detroit) — active COAs supporting confined-space operations and remote tele-piloting environments.

Select public-safety agencies (fire, police, and emergency management) — operational COAs enabling nighttime operations, tactical response, and BVLOS-in-limited-scenarios.

And this is all on top of other industrial and data-driven UAS platforms, including Ann Arbor’s SkySpecs, Detroit-based Skypersonic, Grand Rapids’ Westwood AI, and Great Lakes Drone — firms advancing how Michigan’s infrastructure, utilities, and industries leverage aerial data.

Aspirational Pipeline (Near‑Term Horizon)

There are many projects either up and running or about to launch, however there is even more just on the horizon. Michigan has many initiatives that are actively being explored publicly or in planning phases, providing context for the next phase of Michigan’s AAM evolution:

• Cross-border corridors with Transport Canada/FAA harmonization for BVLOS and eVTOL test cases along Great Lakes routes.

• Multi-node charging networks linking Detroit–Lansing–Grand Rapids–Traverse City, with right-sized power strategies and airport-utility coordination.

• Public-safety detection networks scaling from pilot sites into fixed infrastructure with interagency data-sharing frameworks.

• Healthcare logistics corridors connecting hospital systems, labs, and airports for time-sensitive transport.

• Workforce pipelines tying airport campuses, OEMs, and universities to technician training and MRO for electric and uncrewed systems.

Why It Matters

Michigan’s AAM environment is no longer “exploratory” but actively growing, through incremental, deliberate steps and strategic investment. The nodes listed above — airports, agencies, and companies — illustrate how the state is building a connected foundation across electrification, safety, logistics, and manufacturing. Future spotlights will take a closer look at these locations and themes as activity progresses.

Building the Picture, Together

Michigan’s AAM environment is active, deliberate, and increasingly connected. The partnerships, pilots, and planning efforts outlined here represent just part of the picture — and it’s one that’s growing every month. In addition, key legislative initiatives will be underway at the state and federal levels, advancing the range of AAM operations and capabilities.

Airports, community leaders, economic development firms, among many other key stakeholders need to begin understanding AAM dynamics, what role these systems could play in their region, and how these operations will impact their airspace.

If you’re still feeling overwhelmed, that’s OK. It’s not too late to begin learning. There are simple steps you can begin taking today to get up-to-speed. Thelenwood Consulting stands ready to help guide your organization and identify low- or no-cost strategies your organization can begin taking to get AAM-ready.

Who did we miss? 

If your airport, municipality, or organization has launched an AAM project, secured funding, holds an active COA, or achieved a recent mobility win, we’d love to hear from you. Share your story with Thelenwood Consulting to be featured in a future edition of What’s Up! — helping highlight the collaboration and innovation shaping Michigan’s next chapter in aviation.

Citations

1. Michigan Office of Future Mobility & Electrification (OFME). “Michigan Statewide Mobility Challenges to Accelerate Advanced Air Mobility Integration.” MichiganBusiness.org, Sept 29 2025. https://www.michiganbusiness.org/press-releases/2025/09/statewide-aam-challenges/

2. Capital Region International Airport & BETA Technologies. “Michigan’s First Electric‑Aircraft Charger Installed at LAN.” FlyLansing.com, July 2025. https://www.flylansing.com/about/news/capital-region-international-airport-and-beta-technologies-install-states-first-electric

3. West Michigan Regional Airport (WMRA). “Electric Charging Infrastructure Underway at West Michigan Regional Airport.” WMRA News, 2025. https://westmichiganregionalairport.com/news/electric-charging-infrastructure-west-michigan-regional-airport/

4. Governor Gretchen Whitmer & State of Michigan. “Executive Directive to Create the Michigan Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Initiative.” BusinessWire/Michigan.gov, July 17 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250717935412/en/

5. ANRA Technologies & Chippewa County. “Michigan Partnership Aims to Advance Drone‑Based Mobility Solutions in the Eastern Upper Peninsula.” VerticalMag, Oct 22 2025. https://verticalmag.com/press-releases/michigan-partnership-aims-to-advance-drone-based-mobility-solutions/

Published November 18th, 2025

By: Aaron Thelenwood, Founder