The fleet of electric, vertical take off and landing jet aircraft or eVTOL will be based out of Lake Nona.
Photo: Lilium
The aircraft, which is made by Munich-based company Lilium, will be able to ferry 20 million Floridians in a year to destinations within a 186 mile radius of the Lake Nona landing pad or vertiport.
More than 140 people will be employed full-time at the facility.
Lilium Chief Operating Officer Dr. Remo Gerber says the cost of a ride to start out will be equivalent to a business class flight.
“There will be a starting point. It will be affordable. It will be a business expense. It might be your occasional trip to the beach with the family. That is all possible. But overtime we are committed on future generations of this whole service and really bringing the prices right down to like long-term comparative to cars.”
Tavistock Development Managing Director Ben Weaver says they’re working with another Lake Nona company, Beep to connect the hub with the Orlando International Airport.
“And I think we have envisioned for obviously car connectivity which is already there today to the site. But advancements in autonomous shuttles. We in Lake Nona have the Beep transportation that participates in our land holdings. And we look to expand those type of offerings to connect the Orlando International Airport to the new Lilium vertiport.”
The aircraft will ferry tourists and residents to nearby cities like Tampa, Daytona Beach and Jacksonville.
The Federal Aviation Authority still has to approve the aircraft.
Photo: Lilium
Copyright 2020 WMFE. To see more, visit WMFE.
