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Committee OKs bill to preserve open competition for future vertiports
Summary
Lawmakers approved House Bill 1976 to prevent exclusive local contracts for vertiports and require compliance with Federal Aviation Administration rules, supporters said. Representative Jason Ajarenko and committee members described vertiports and eVTOLs and said the bill aims to prevent monopolies as the technology develops.
Representative Jason Ajarenko, sponsor of House Bill 1976, told the committee the measure would protect open competition for future vertiports and bar local agreements that would create monopolies.
The bill, Ajarenko said, does not create vertiports but sets rules governing access if operators build them in Arkansas. "This is a fair market and an open competition deal," Representative Jason Ajarenko said. "So this fosters open competition. It makes sure that we don't allow any monopolies on the vertiports here in the state."
The bill defines a vertiport as a small landing facility for eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft, which Ajarenko likened to a heliport serving electrically powered vertical-lift aircraft. He said eVTOLs may be manned or unmanned and could carry passengers or cargo in the future. "So think of helicopter, but electronically powered," Ajarenko said. "It could be manned or it could be unmanned."
Ajarenko emphasized that any vertiport built would remain subject to Federal Aviation Administration regulations. "All FAA regulations have to be complied by," he told the committee. He also said Arkansas could be an early testing ground for the technology, citing potential short-haul routes such as Fayetteville to Bentonville and Harrison to Fayetteville and noting local airports—he specifically named Drake Field—are already looking ahead.
Committee members moved the bill and, after brief comment about expertise in aviation in the room, voted to pass. The motion to pass was made and seconded on the floor and the committee chair announced the bill passed; the transcript does not record a roll-call tally.
Why it matters: supporters said the bill aims to avoid exclusive agreements that could limit competition and raise costs if eVTOL operations and dedicated vertiports emerge. The measure also signals state-level regulatory preparation for a technology that is still in early commercial development.
What the record shows: the sponsor described the property and operational differences between airports, heliports and vertiports; identified Hyundai as an industry investor; and stated that the bill does not authorize construction but sets access rules and requires FAA compliance.
The committee approved the bill; the transcript records the chair saying, "Your bill passes."
