Given its proximity to the Grand Canyon and large numbers of tourists, Williams is very likely to become an early hub for the coming electric air taxi industry. It is critical for the city to consider the opportunities this industry presents and take the needed actions to insure Williams benefits from revenue streams air taxi operations will provide.
The Grand Canyon Railway will also need to consider strategies to keep the railway vibrant and profitable in the age of fast, reliable, and affordable on demand air taxis. One option for the GCR may be to partner with an air taxi operator and offer a rail and air taxi package that has passengers riding the train one way and the other by air taxi. Electric air taxis will reduce the travel time to the Grand Canyon from Williams significantly. Visits to the Canyon could be accomplished in just a few hours with this technology, which could also reduce hotel nights and tourist spending in Williams.
A new plan to build more hangers at the City owned Williams Airport should take into account the changes to air travel that are coming quickly. The days of needing to hangar an aging fleet of Cessna type single engine airplanes piloted by people in their 70s is likely come to an end much sooner than most think.
With the footprint of the airport constrained by the current land area, it is vital to proceed cautiously and deliberately with any construction projects on the drawing board. Air taxi operators will need substantial space for parking aircraft, operations, and maintenance.
The Williams airport is not the only option for air taxi operations. In fact, many of the plans currently being laid out in the United States, and globally bypass airports altogether and create “Vertiports” for air taxi operations far from traditional airports. Electric air taxis are a class of aircraft known as “eVTOLs”, electric Vertical Take Off and Landing, which like helicopters do not need traditional runways and airports to operate. eVTOLs also benefit greatly from operating more quietly than helicopters.
The City of Williams could generate significant revenue with a per passenger or per operation fee charged to operators of air taxis, as well as renting hangar and terminal space to these companies. Locking in the airport’s footprint with traditional hangars could force operators to build a vertiport outside the city limits, thus denying the city the ability to generate money from fees and control air taxi operations somewhat.
Air taxis are not some fantasy technology that is years away. In fact, air taxis are likely to be in operation in 2025. Companies like Skyports are already designing and building vertiports for the eVTOL industry in various parts of the world. Saudia Arabia has already ordered 100 air taxis from German company Lilium. Toyota has invested $894 million in eVTOL company Joby. (full disclosure, this author owns shares in Joby.) Air taxis could begin operation in the United Arab Emirates in the first half of 2025.
While the FAA has laid out the pathways to certification of eVTOLs and for potential pilots, one company has seemingly lept ahead of the pack with its fully autonomous air taxi.
Boeing subsidiary Wisk has been developing and testing pilotless electric air taxis for years. Wish has been testing its 6th generation pilotless air taxi for several years, and is poised to begin operations in the USA as early as 2025.
Wisk’s 6th generation electric air taxi has room for 4 passengers and their luggage. It can fly at speeds up to 120 knots with a range of 90 minutes with reserves, and can be charged in as little as 15 minutes. It is designed to fly at 2500 to 4000 feet above the ground and be operated fully autonomously with a human monitoring the flight remotely as needed.
With the current technology of the Wisk air taxi, a scenario for tourists departing Williams would likely be a direct flight to the Grand Canyon Airport with a stop to charge the aircraft quickly, or change aircraft to begin a tour of the Grand Canyon by air and a stop back at the GC Airport before the return to Willams.
The days of noisy fossil fuel helicopters is likely to end quickly as the eVTOLs roll off the production lines. A helicopter can cost in the range of $1400 an hour to operate, while an eVTOL may come in at or below $200 an hour, especially with an pilotless aircraft.
A vibrant airport designed for air taxi operations can also benefit Williams by providing a base for eventual air taxi flights from Las Vegas, Flagstaff, and even Phoenix and beyond. A failure to plan for the future or locking our airport into an outdated and dying 20th century model could lead to a loss of tourists and the revenues they bring.
