First U.S. Vertiport

To Be Located at Orlando’s Aerotropolis in Lake Nona

BY NONA MAGAZINE STAFF WRITER

WHAT’S A VERTIPORT, YOU ASK?

A type of airport for aircrafts which land and take off vertically. A location designed to specifically support the operations of eVTOL (electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircrafts.

WHAT IS AN AEROTROPOLIS?

An aerotropolis is an urban sub-region whose infrastructure, land-use, and economy are centred on an airport.

Described as the “Future of Cities” by Fortune Magazine, Lake Nona provides an unmatched location contiguous to the Orlando International Airport, the origination site of more than half of the region’s 75 million annual visitors, with a robust economy and infrastructure ready to support the

US launch of electric air mobility.

Orlando’s aerotropolis is highlighted by the international airport and robust aviation companies and services, including several within Lake Nona, which is home to BBA Aviation/Signature Flight Support and SimCom Aviation Training, who recently announced the creation of its new global headquarters that will train approximately 10,000 pilots each year.

The first hub location for a high-speed, electric air mobility network in America will be launched by 2025 in Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida.

Lilium, the Munich, Germany-based aviation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet aircraft, Tavistock Development Company and the City of Orlando announced the country’s first

urban and regional air mobility network as well as Lilium’s first U.S. network location.

Subject to regulatory approvals, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and other regulatory agencies, Lake Nona’s central location would provide the opportunity to connect more than 20 million Floridians within a 186-mile radius, serving several major cities including Orlando and Tampa. The Lake Nona vertiport will create more than 100 jobs in the Orlando area, with hundreds more to follow across Florida.

Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings added: “Our region strives for collaboration and innovation and to become the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Thank you to Lilium and Tavistock for helping us embrace the future of rethinking transportation and helping transform travel with Florida’s first flying taxi. This is truly The Jetsons coming to reality in Central Florida’s backyard.”

The announcement demonstrates Lilium’s ongoing commitment to commencing commercial operations of a quiet, emissions-free regional air mobility service, which is accessible to all, in multiple regions around the world by 2025.

All U.S. vertiport locations will require approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Lilium jet is under certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the FAA and will operate under existing regulatory frameworks. l