Georgia vertiports bill aims to make air taxi a reality
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Archer Aviation's Midnight aircraft is manufactured in Covington. Photo: Courtesy of Archer Aviation
One day soon it could be possible to skip Atlanta traffic and hitch a flight to Midtown from Hartsfield-Jackson in an air taxi.
Why it matters: New legislation is part of an effort to build the regulatory and business groundwork in Georgia for what federal officials call the "first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years."
Driving the news: State senators are set to consider legislation to spark the construction of "vertiports" at airports across the state where air taxis could take off and land.
- Last week, state Rep. Todd Jones (R-Cumming), the bill's sponsor, told the House Technology and Innovation Committee that the state could have a "lily pad network of vertiports" over the next three to five years.
How it works: Electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, or eVTOLs, take off and land like helicopters and fly horizontally like fixed-wing planes, often at lower altitudes.
- Industry supporters say the vehicles are cleaner and quieter than helicopters and ideal for transporting people who don't want to spend time on transit or in traffic.
Zoom in: Under the legislation, Jones said, vertiports could become classified as "general aviation facilities" and eligible for federal funding.
- He envisions each vertiport would be roughly 42,000 square feet and have up to four landing pads (one to be reserved for maintenance).
- The flights could also play a role in cargo logistics, medical transport, or even recreation (in uncongested areas), according to a May 2024 GDOT study of the industry's potential in Georgia, including possible vertiport sites.
State of play: Companies building eVTOLs are flying high after 2024 saw manufacturers announce air-taxi partnerships with airlines and Olympic-size plans to show off their tech.
- All of the "big four" U.S. airlines — Delta, United, American and Southwest — are at least exploring electric air taxi operations, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes.
- In July 2024, Archer Aviation, which manufactures its Midnight eVTOL in Covington, announced plans with Southwest to launch air taxi service in and around Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics.
- Delta and Joby Aviation plan to provide passengers with "seamless, zero-operating-emission, short-range journeys to and from city airports" beginning in Los Angeles and New York "pending signoff from federal and local authorities."
Reality check: If things go according to plan, eVTOLs will join an increasingly crowded airspace filled with drones and commercial aircraft, Axios' Joann Muller writes.
- Given the number of air disasters lately, regulators and the flying public may want better assurances that eVTOLs won't present a new safety risk.
What we're watching: Last week, Jones said GDOT officials noted that federal transportation officials might create a different definition about vertiports, though Jones said that should not stop the state from moving forward.
What's next: The House Technology and Innovation Committee, which Jones chairs, is scheduled to hear the bill tomorrow.