Orlando will soon be the home of the U.S.'s first flying taxi regional hub, courtesy of Germany-based Lilium.
Lilium, an aviation company focused on zero-emissions regional air mobility services, announced Wednesday that it is launching the first U.S. hub for its all-electric, vertical take-off-and-landing jet aircraft in the Aerotropolis of Orlando innovation community Lake Nona.
Lilium said its eVTOL jet aircraft can air-ferry up to five passengers and luggage up to 186 miles — about the distance from Orlando to Miami — within one hour on a single charge. Shorter flights, such as Orlando to Tampa, can happen in 30 minutes, while short hops to Daytona Beach or Cocoa Beach would take just 15 minutes.
Orlando will be just one part of Lilium’s plan to establish regional air hubs all over the world. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Munich, the company said it expects to supply a sizable global market demand for fully electric aircraft that can take off and land vertically. Lilium said its method of connecting communities would come at a fraction of the cost of conventional high-speed infrastructure — and at zero operating emissions.
