By Nancy Dahlberg
In what appears to be a race to first-movers in bringing all-electric jet service to South Florida, Lilium, the German developer of the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, announced a partnership today with advanced air mobility operator UrbanLink to operate Lilium Jets in South Florida.
Seeing eVTOLs as a key driver of sustainable regional connectivity across South Florida, Miami-based UrbanLink will purchase 20 Lilium Jets, with scheduled pre-delivery payments and an option to order 20 more. The move makes UrbanLink one of the first airlines in the country financially committed to integrating eVTOL aircraft into its fleet, the companies said, and UrbanLink plans to initiate service in the Miami metro area.
Newly launched, UrbanLink is led by Ed Wegel, an airline executive with 40 years of experience in financing, operations and distribution. Wegel has raised more than $1 billion for aviation ventures, led FAA certifications for several airlines, and has served on boards for public and private airlines. Most recently, Wegel was CEO and founder of GlobalX, a fast-growing charter airline based in Miami that is also betting on eVTOLs as the next frontier of air transport.
UrbanLink evaluated various manufacturers and found Lilium to be optimal because of “its superior cabin design, range, capacity, and cost-effectiveness,” Wegel said.
“While many airlines have discussed the potential of operating eVTOL aircraft, none have made a definitive commitment. UrbanLink will be the first airline in the U.S. to integrate eVTOL aircraft into its fleet. We are dedicated to revolutionizing the way people move to and from as well as within urban cores,” Wegel said in a statement.
The Lilium Jet, with its planned launch range of up to 180 miles, is poised to fulfill this vision by linking major cities such as Miami, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Fort Lauderdale, and extending across the Florida peninsula to Marco Island or down to the Florida Keys.
The eVTOL service launch is targeted for 2026. UrbanLink plans to use a network of Florida vertiports that Lilium and its partners have been assembling over the past five years.
UrbanLink and Lilium join a growing number of aircraft makers and air taxi companies hoping to make the Miami area one of their initial launch markets. South Florida’s heavy traffic congestion, lack of sufficent public transportation and suburban sprawl make the region attractive for eVTOLs, which take off and land vertically like a helicopter, because they provide transportation that is both faster adn greener than car travel, the companies say.
For instance, in November, Miami-based Global Crossing Airlines Group, which operates the charter and cargo airline GlobalX, announced the creation of UrbanX Air, a subsidiary formed to bring Urban Air Mobility to South Florida with eVTOL service. The future could include eVTOL hops between Miami International Airport and the Miami Beach convention center or between the downtowns of Miami and Fort Lauderdale and Hard Rock Stadium, for example, the companies said.
In 2022, GlobalX signed a letter of intent to purchase 200 eVTOLs from Eve Air Mobility, a subsidiary of aircraft manufacturer Embraer and a leader in global eVTOL development, with delivery of its first Eve eVTOL expected in 2026.
What’s more, this year Archer Aviation, another company leading the charge to bring eVTOL aircraft service to Florida and nationwide, signed a memorandum of understanding with fixed-base operator Atlantic to establish sites for electric aircraft operations, or vertiports, in America’s most congested cities – Miami, LA, San Francisco and New York City – in 2025, in partnership with United Airlines.
Joby and Delta Air Lines also see Miami’s potential as an early eVTOL market, as well as Supernal, an eVTOL service planned by Hyundai Motor Group. A local startup, Doroni Aerospace, is also building an eVTOL vehicle, but for personal use. What’s more, electric sea gliders may also be getting into the Miami airspace soon.
The City of Miami, through Venture Miami, this year kicked off Advanced Air Mobility working group meetings with a summit of industry leaders and government experts that included brainstorming sessions on vertiport design and airspace integration. Going forward, the collaborative effort to shape the future of advanced air mobility will include policy development and implementation, community engagement and education, regional collaboration, and R&D initiatives, and a goal is to create a “Blueprint Review Process” that can be adapted and implemented nationwide for vertiport siting and eVTOL operations. Venture Miami’s Head of Research Burhan Sebin and Keith Carswell are leading the effort.
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
- Air taxi plans are taking off: Miami on Archer’s shortlist for 2025 launch and Venture Miami convenes summit
- Air taxi reality moves a step closer with the creation of Miami-based UrbanX Air
- This UM professor is building a next-gen eVTOL, and NASA wants to bring it to Mars
- REGENT charts flight path with Surf Air to bring electric seaglider service to Miami
Follow Nancy Dahlberg on X @ndahlberg and email her at nancy@refreshmiami.com
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