Council approved the deal Oct. 27: up to $2.2 million in TSPLOST money builds a charging station and landing pad for electric eVTOL aircraft at Columbus Airport.

Columbus Airport plans to build a landing pad and charging station for electric aircraft that take off and land straight up. The city will pay for it with up to $2.2 million in transportation sales tax money.

Updated Nov. 2: Council approved the agreement Oct. 27, according to the summary minutes of the meeting. The minutes do not give a vote count.

Columbus Council approved an agreement with the Columbus Airport Commission at its meeting Oct. 27. Under it, the city hands the commission the money to build “an airside electric charging station and a dedicated vertiport” for eVTOL aircraft. eVTOL stands for electric vertical takeoff and landing. The deal is item 1 on the city manager’s agenda in the Oct. 27 meeting packet.

Where the money comes from

The money was set aside earlier this year. Council approved $2.2 million from the TSPLOST discretionary fund for the project by Resolution 172-26, according to the agenda item. TSPLOST is a special sales tax for transportation projects.

Under the draft agreement in the packet:

  • the city’s fiscal 2027 budget holds up to $2.2 million for the project
  • the airport commission builds the charging station and vertiport
  • the commission asks the city for money in stages, with an invoice, quote or contract behind each request
  • the city’s finance director has to accept the paperwork, and the commission sends proof that the vendor was paid

The resolution says the airport “has identified a location” for the pad. It does not say where on the airfield it would go. Neither the resolution nor the agreement gives a start date or a finish date.

Why the city says it wants one

City staff set out their case in the agenda item:

  • the project would “posture Columbus to serve as the regional hub for eVTOL aircraft”
  • the Georgia Department of Transportation studied air taxi infrastructure in 2024 to build a statewide action plan
  • four Georgia airports already have airside electric charging stations
  • the federal government and GDOT support building the network, and the city “desires to be part of the statewide network”

Staff listed the benefits as faster emergency response, wider access to the urban core, more ways to respond to disasters and better links between rural areas and the city. The agenda item also says “the first commercial eVTOL aircraft will take flight in the U.S. this year.” The item does not name any operator that plans to fly to Columbus.

What it means for you

  • If you fly from Columbus Airport, nothing changes yet. The pad is for a new kind of aircraft, and no service to or from Columbus has been announced.
  • If you pay sales tax in Columbus, the money is TSPLOST revenue the city already set aside for this project, not new spending from the General Fund.
  • If you have a view, contact your council member. Numbers and emails are on our who to call at City Hall page.

Our road construction and closures page tracks the city’s other transportation projects.