By 2028, the city of Orlando, Florida, could resemble scenes from “Blade Runner” and “The Fifth Element” — with traffic from flying cars buzzing overhead.
Orlando International Airport this week revealed it has been seeking partners who can help it develop launch and landing pads for “Jetsons”-esque flying cars called a “vertiport,” reported ArcaMax.
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority will put out bids for the project next month, according to the outlet.
“We envision the airport to be a multimodal hub of the future,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, a member of the Aviation Authority, said.
“That means expanding the SunRail to the airport, Brightline from there to Tampa and making sure we have readied the airport as a vertihub of the future.”
Dyer said the new hub made sense for the city’s airport and added Orlando was at the forefront of Advanced Air Mobility — the technology behind flying cars.
“You can’t just have a vertiport at the airport, you have to have places for the vehicles to go from the airport to downtown Orlando or Tampa,” Dyer told ArcaMax.
“I think before we see ‘The Jetsons,’ this is going to be developed slowly.”
The small aircraft will fit up to six passengers and run off electric power. They would also take off and land vertically, the outlet reported.
Dyer said Orlando will work on the project with the Federal Aviation Administration.
The first vertiport will be constructed on land located in the airport’s East Airfield.
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority has not yet established a budget for the vertiport project.
This marks the airport’s third attempt at establishing a vertiport.
A contract was inked in 2020 between Lilium, a German flying car producer, and Lake Nona developer Tavistock, with flying cars in place by 2025.
A year later, Orlando partnered with NASA to analyze how Advanced Air Mobility could be integrated into the city. That deal never got off the ground, according to ArcaMax.
