Will St. Petersburg embrace air taxis?

St. Petersburg City Councilmembers have realized they must now “catch up” in the race to accommodate air taxis.

The city’s Economic and Workforce Development Committee discussed electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles used in air delivery and taxi services Thursday. The meeting served as a prequel to discussions that began over three years ago under former Mayor Rick Kriseman’s administration.

Councilmember Gina Driscoll suggested creating a task force to foster advanced air mobility (AAM) efforts in St. Petersburg. Councilmember Ed Montanari, a former pilot, noted that the city hosted the world’s first commercial flight.

“I want the City of St. Petersburg to continue to be a leader when it comes to aviation,” Montanari said. “We need to be bold. We always want to be leading and not reacting.”

Rich Lesniak, airport manager, warned the committee that many questions remain unanswered. The now-defunct Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) began studying ideal locations for vertiports – launch and landing pads or facilities – with NASA in 2020.

Lesniak began by rehashing the basics. The electric aircraft merge long-established helicopter and drone mechanics with vehicle battery power technology.

National and international airlines continue pouring money into advanced air mobility companies. Photo: Archer Aviation.

While air taxi services are the current focus, eVTOLs can also perform shipping, search and rescue, surveillance and private aviation functions like any other aircraft. However, electric vehicles produce exponentially less greenhouse gases and noise.

Passengers and pilots would also avoid traffic congestion. “A lot of folks have touted that this was going to be affordable for the average person to use, but I put a bit of question mark there,” Lesniak said.

“Things are a bit fluid right now – I would say the industry is in kind of what we would classify as a pioneering phase,” he added. “Like any new industry, you expect there’s probably going to be a lot of chaos, initially.”

Lesniak then noted that United Airlines and the U.S. Air Force have already partnered with eVTOL company Joby. Southwest Airlines tasked Archer Aviation, another prominent AAM manufacturer, with creating an air taxi network between 14 California airports earlier this month.

Lesniak called those partnerships a “really good sign for the industry.” He did not mention that United placed a $1 billion order for Archer’s flagship aircraft in 2021.

Archer, which received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to commence commercial operations in June, and other industry leaders also have several international partnerships and orders. Those companies expect to receive FAA aircraft certification next year.

Lesniak noted it will take much longer to establish air taxi networks. However, Volocopter offers round-trip flights and three connection routes to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on its one-passenger eVTOLS.

Tampa International Airport (TPA) officially announced they were identifying space for a vertiport in April 2022. Germany-based Lilium announced a partnership with the City of Orlando to build a $25 million vertiport and regional network hub in 2020.

Volocopter conducted Florida’s first eVTOL test flight at TPA in November 2023. At the event, airport CEO Joe Lopano hoped that commercial flights could commence in 2025 or 2026.

“It’s really sad we’re in a catch-up mode,” Driscoll said Thursday. “So, let’s start now.”

Volocopter conducted Florida’s first eVTOL test flight from Tampa in November 2023. Photo by Veronica Brezina.

Vertiports and mayors

Much of the committee’s discussion centered on ideal places to build vertiports in St. Pete. TBARTA identified 11 locations around TPA, downtown Tampa and downtown St. Petersburg in 2021. At the time, Kriseman announced he held several talks with Lilium officials.

In a subsequent interview, Kriseman said the company was “certainly” interested in St. Petersburg, “and we’re pleased about that.”

Mayor Ken Welch, then a candidate, did not share the same enthusiasm – at least not until improving the city’s bus service. “I want to get the basics right,” he said in October 2021.

However, the now-current mayor signaled a willingness to incorporate eVTOLs into Albert Whitted Airport’s operations in September 2022.  Multiple council members shared that sentiment Thursday.

Considerations for local vertiport locations. Screengrab, city documents.

Lesniak noted that eVTOLs can use established heliports, like the one atop Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. He said AAM companies prefer centrally located facilities within population centers.

Vertiports feature designs and layouts similar to other public transportation passenger terminals. Lesniak said charging stations could cost between $400,000 and $700,000, and city officials must discern safety protocols and electric infrastructure requirements.

The St. Petersburg Innovation District is developing a master plan for the area, which includes Albert Whitted. Executive director Alison Barlow said stakeholders have considered building a parking garage across the street at Port St. Pete to serve multiple facilities.

Driscoll stressed the importance of “getting creative” and said the garage could feature a vertiport on its upper deck. 

Tom Greene, assistant city administrator, said Welch instructed officials to discern economic and social opportunities within the aviation umbrella at Albert Whitted. He added that technological advancements were “one of the many considerations” for reevaluating airport operations.

The committee will discuss the next steps to accommodating eVTOLs at an Aug. 22 meeting.