flying taxi startup lilium reveals plans for first flying-car hub in florida

back in 2019, munich-based startup lilium unveiled an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) passenger jet, planning to have its fleet of five-seat air taxi operating in cities worldwide by 2025. one year later, the company has announced plans for its first US vertiport to be located at orlando’s aerotropolis in lake nona. the chosen location provides the opportunity to connect more than 20 million floridians within a 186-mile radius and will generate more than 100 jobs in the area.

images courtesy of lilium

for this venture, lilium has partnered with tavistock development and the city of orlando. together, they have created a breakthrough vertiport architecture that is both functional and aesthetically unique, resembling the art within lake nona. a variety of standardized vertiport designs will allow flexibility so that sites can be uniquely assembled or incorporated into existing transport structures in both urban and suburban developments. these designs provide optionality for metropolitan landscapes with the ability for offsite pre-construction that reduce costs and accelerate development.

‘we are thrilled to partner with tavistock and build the first stretch of florida’s high-speed electric transportation network with central florida at its core,’ comments dr. remo gerber, chief operating officer, lilium. ‘it shows that regional high-speed air mobility can be built by private initiative and give communities such as lake nona, which can also serve orlando and arrivals from its international airport, the ability to determine themselves whether they want a link into a high-speed transportation network.’

the florida network forms part of lilium’s vision of bringing regional air mobility to locations across the globe. the lilium jet aircraft can travel further and faster with distances of up to 186 miles (300km) within one hour on a single charge, enabling the connection of entire regions, creating significant economic impact for cities and their residents as well as increased access to industry, culture and nature.

the vertiport locations are subject to approval from the federal aviation administration (FAA), florida department of transportation (FDOT) and other regulatory agencies. the lilium jet is under certification from the european aviation safety agency (EASA) and the FAA and will operate under existing regulatory frameworks.

project info:

name: first US vertiport

company: lilium

in partnertship with: tavistock development

location: orlando’s aerotropolis in lake nona, florida