Florida has spent years building the infrastructure for a transportation industry that is still taking shape. Now, at SunTrax in Auburndale, Florida’s early bet on advanced air mobility is starting to deliver, attracting companies preparing to turn a futuristic mode of transportation into a commercial industry.
In August, AIR announced plans to establish its U.S. headquarters, eVTOL production and flight operations hub at the 775-acre campus, where the company has already taken approximately 20,000 sq. ft. AIR plans to begin U.S. manufacturing of its AIR ONE personal eVTOL aircraft and autonomous heavy-lift cargo aircraft by the end of 2026, while relocating flight-test programs for both aircraft to SunTrax.
The move gives Florida something more significant than another advanced-aircraft testing program. AIR is bringing headquarters functions, manufacturing and flight operations together at a state-owned facility built to help emerging transportation technologies move toward commercialization. For SunTrax, it is an early sign that the infrastructure Florida built for advanced mobility is starting to attract the companies needed to turn that investment into an industry…