The first hub location for a high-speed electric air mobility network in America will be launched by 2025 in Lake Nona, Orlando, Florida. Lilium, a Munich-based aviation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing jet aircraft, along with Tavistock Development Company and the City of Orlando, have announced the country's first urban and regional air mobility network as well as Lilium's first US network location.

Lake Nona's central location provides 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.

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 distances of up to 186 miles within one hour on a single charge, enabling the connection of entire regions and creating significant economic impact for cities and their residents as well as increased access to industry, culture and nature.

Tavistock's capabilities in design, planning, construction and development will support Lilium's efforts in building this scalable, high-speed regional transportation system across major locations in Florida. At its core, Lake Nona, one of the fastest-growing master-planned communities in America developed by Tavistock, is designed to meet a higher standard of smarter, sustainable living, an ethos which closely matches that of Lilium.

Remo Gerber, Lilium COO, says: “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. 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.”

Described as the ‘future of cities’ by Fortune Magazine, Lake Nona is close to 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.

City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer comments: “For this new technology to truly reshape the transportation ecosystem and benefit Orlando residents long-term, it is going to take a true partnership between cities, developers and transportation operators. We have been focused on finding the right partners to be a global leader in the advanced air mobility space. I'm thrilled that our progressive and collaborative environment has created an opportunity for this unique partnership between the City of Orlando, Lilium and Lake Nona to invest in the expansion of safe, efficient and environmentally friendly transportation options throughout one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.”

Tavistock MD Ben Weaver adds: “We are delighted to partner with Lilium to create the first US network of vertiports and to launch within Lake Nona's living lab, allowing unrivalled connectivity unlike anything developed in the country to date. This partnership and network launch highlight our community's passion and commitment to groundbreaking partnerships and new technologies that set us apart as a city of the future. Lilium's core mission of transport, which not only supports bringing the region together but also provides a solution to environmental issues, is incredibly impressive.”