BIG Changes (Including Flying Cars!) Could Hit Orlando International Airport in 2028

Big changes are coming to Orlando International Airport!

Orlando International Airport

In a major expansion, new shops and restaurants are coming to the airport. Along with those additions, the airport is taking major steps toward launching an advanced air mobility service, and we’re breaking down those proposals right here!

These air mobility services will include electric air taxis, and the airport hopes to have them operational by the end of the decade. According to the Orlando Business Journal, the airport’s air traffic controllers, working in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration, recently ran two simulations to test how electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft could work at the airport.

MCO Airport

The simulations were focused on two potential vertiport locations. One would be in the East Airfield, and the other would be near the Brightline station at the airport. Bradley Friel, senior vice president of planning and environmental at the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, said those tests were to “validate those two locations” and show ” that operations from those two vertiports could be integrated safely into the national airspace system.”

Brightline Train Station

If you don’t know, air taxi operations are the use of on-demand aircraft that transport people and cargo over short distances for things like emergency services, rides, and deliveries. The FAA aims to have these operational by 2028. After these simulations, the next phase of development will see the FAA develop frameworks for integrating these aircraft into the “commercial airspace” at MCO.

MCO Airport Security

The airport is working with the Florida Department of Transportation and the City of Orlando to figure out what infrastructure is needed to make these additions. Infrastructure needs would include electrical capacity and vertiport designs.

©Greater Orlando Aviation Authority

FAA certification of the aircraft could begin in the second half of 2026. Vertiport design and development could most likely begin in 2027, which would lead to the expected 2028 opening. The new service likely would be used by business travelers and urban commuters at MCO. These changes come in addition to 10 new restaurants and several new shops to expand the airport’s offerings for travelers.

We spend quite a bit of time in this airport thanks to its proximity to Disney World and Universal, so we’re seriously excited to see the changes hitting this spot. As always, be sure to keep following DisneyFoodBlog for more travel news and updates.

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