A startup that makes an electric flying taxi may land a new facility in Orlando.
Munich-based Lilium Aviation Inc. seeks tax incentives from Orlando to build a 56,000-square-foot transportation hub in the city, according to the Nov. 9 city council meeting agenda. If Lilium comes to town, the company will create more than 100 high-wage jobs.
Related Content
Jobs and investment
Lilium’s proposed facility, which would represent a $25 million investment, would create 143 jobs by the end of 2025. In turn, the city would offer a tax rebate worth up to $831,250 over nine years. The city estimates the facility will generate $1.7 million in economic impact in a 10-year period.
Those jobs would pay an average annual salary of $66,451. That’s higher than the metro area’s average annual salary of $46,140, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The fiscal impact statement for the agreement describes the facility as a vertiport, a takeoff and landing area for vehicles that do so vertically like a helicopter. The vertiport would be part of its first transportation network in the U.S. Lilium previously has pursued regional hubs for its vertical takeoff vehicle, known as the Lilium Jet, in Europe. The company in September announced partnerships with two German airports that will serve as hubs for Lilium’s transportation network.
Lilium executives could not be reached for comment.
The incentive agreement is part of the city council’s consent agenda. The agreement, and several other agenda items, will be approved with a single vote unless the agreement is pulled from the agenda.
Air taxis expected to take off
Lilium produces a five-seat vertical takeoff aircraft it first unveiled in 2019 with plans to put it in use in 2025. The startup last year opened its first manufacturing facility in Germany and since has raised more than $240 million in venture capital and grown its workforce to more than 500 employees.
The city has been bullish on the use of flying taxis that transport people short distances through the air. Vertical takeoff vehicles are a point of emphasis in the city’s Future Ready Master Plan, a tech-focused plan that will guide the rollout of new programs and policies to advance internet connectivity, autonomous vehicles and more. The draft plan, which is being finalized, calls for the city to work with private companies that operate electric vertical takeoff vehicles to bring facilities to Orlando and connect it with other Southeastern cities.
“This evolution we’re moving into is a more interconnected way for us to look at driving intelligence within our city and driving efficiency and, at the end of the day, quality of life,” Chris Castro, Orlando director of sustainability and resiliency, said Oct. 27 during a presentation about the master plan at the Digital Orlando tech conference.
Orlando Director of Innovation Matthew Broffman previously predicted a piloted or an autonomous version of these vehicles would be in Orlando by 2025.
Sign up here for our free morning and afternoon daily newsletters. And be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.