FutureFlight
Airports Group Gears Up For Demand-led Vertiport Development Plans
Ferrovial, which designs, builds and operates airports, railways and highways worldwide, is already doing preliminary vertiport development work with some 30 prospective partners in the advanced air mobility sector.
Ferrovial aims to build and manage vertiports for commercial eVTOL air services.
Ferrovial aims to build and manage vertiports that could be used by multiple eVTOL aircraft operators. (Image: Ferrovial)

In Lake Nona, an upwardly mobile new neighborhood in sprawling greater Orlando, the new wave of public transportation is taking shape, bringing significant changes on the ground and in the air. The Florida community, which is still being developed, offers an almost-clear canvas for eVTOL aircraft developer Lilium and its ground infrastructure partner Ferrovial in a fast-growing state that is, at last, seeking 21st-century alternatives to the automobile.

The airports, highways, and rail stations group is making plans for a network of 10 or more vertiports connecting cities across Florida, including Tampa, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Naples, and Miami. With commercial eVTOL flights expected to launch in 2025, the next 24 months will see a hive of activity as Ferrovial and other companies get all the key stakeholders on board and start to take plans from the drawing board and onto construction sites.