en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority is moving forward with an approved plan to develop the first vertistop in the United States within Orlando International Airport (MCO). Located at the current Surface Lot Atlantic, near the Brightline train station serving the airport's Terminal C, construction of the facility is expected to begin by the end of October, pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft have not yet received commercial operation certification, but according to MyNews13, the vertistop could be used for demonstrations once operational. The facility will not affect airport operations but will occupy approximately 80 leased parking spaces. Kevin Thompson, Assistant Vice President of Planning at the authority, stated that the process will be a slow start, following a crawl-walk-run pace, with hopes of conducting demonstrations later this year.

As eVTOL technology evolves, Orlando is poised to become a benchmark for similar developments nationwide. The vertiport will eventually feature a terminal and other amenities, with the entire facility expected to be completed by the end of this decade. eVTOL aircraft operate with multiple propellers, achieving higher safety levels where other motors can compensate if one fails. By building this infrastructure, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority will provide travelers with an alternative way to access and exit the airport.

Joby Aviation, one of the world's leading vertiport developers, has already built the first vertiport in Dubai. More than 25 sites across the United States have been identified for such facilities. Orlando is considered a strong market contender due to severe traffic congestion on I-4 and its central location near Tampa, Cape Canaveral, Greater Orlando, and Central Florida. eVTOLs are battery-powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically like helicopters and fly horizontally like airplanes, featuring zero emissions, low noise, and the ability to bypass urban traffic. Their environmental impact includes zero emissions, faster energy conversion by electric motors compared to internal combustion engines, and construction from recyclable composite materials; noise reduction is achieved through small rotor blades spinning instead of a single large blade, with quiet acoustics designed for urban takeoffs and landings; efficiency allows bypassing ground traffic and operating at existing helipads; and cost benefits include lower maintenance with fewer moving parts in the electric propulsion system. Beyond serving as air taxis, eVTOLs can be used for personal flight, recreation, or emergency response, medical transport, search and rescue operations, and disaster relief.