The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) Board approved the development of a vertistop at Orlando International Airport (MCO) in support of the State of Florida’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) initiatives and future aerial highway network.

Orlando Airport Vertistop

The vertistop will be a small takeoff and landing pad for electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft demonstrations. It will be located at MCO’s Surface Lot Atlantis near the Train Station.

The development is subject to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval and support from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

Aircraft demonstrations at the vertistop will be held in collaboration with federal and state partners, including the FAA, FDOT, local air traffic control, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA).

The planned development will also provide validation of approach and departure procedures evaluated in high-fidelity airspace simulation assessments.

FDOT was one of eight proposals selected under the FAA’s eVTOL and AAM Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), a three-year initiative to accelerate the safe integration of AAM aircraft into the National Airspace System.

“It’s exciting to see yet another example of our industry working to establish Florida’s Aerial Highway Network,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. “This vertistop will play a key role in the initial phase of Advanced Air Mobility along the I-4 corridor.”

“Today’s action reflects our commitment to preparing Orlando International Airport, and, in turn, airports across our great state, for the future of aviation while keeping safety, collaboration, and the customer experience at the center of every step,” said Lance Lyttle, Chief Executive Officer of GOAA, which manages Orlando International and Orlando Executive Airports. “We are grateful to our partners at the FAA, FDOT, local air traffic control, NASA, NATCA, and the many public- and private-sector stakeholders helping to advance this work.”

MCO’s AAM planning efforts aim to avoid disrupting local aviation traffic by developing procedures that can operate independently from the legacy airport operation.

GOAA hopes to develop an on-airport AAM vertiport by 2030.

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