Founded by former GlobalX CEO Ed Wegel, the start-up operator is looking to target the Florida market.
A Lilium aircraft rendering (Photo: Lilium)
Long-time airline entrepreneur Ed Wegel is starting a new airline called Air Flo, an all-Airbus A220 operator targeting the former Air Florida short-haul route network. As part of Air Flo’s development, Wegel says he also plans to launch a Part 135 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) operator known as UrbanLink.
“This will allow us to move passengers efficiently between focus cities in the state [of Florida], and also provide transportation for local passengers…,” Wegel said in a Linkedin post. He added that the company will need a longer-range EVTOL, eyeing Lilium’s aircraft. For shorter-range operations, the company is looking at Eve Air Mobility.
In his Tuesday post, Wegel noted the increasingly competitive advanced air mobility (AAM) landscape. All three major U.S. carriers – including American, Delta, and United – have different commitments for eVTOL aircraft. “…we also want this technology to move passengers to the Keys and up both Florida coasts,” he added.
Wegel didn’t specify the timing for UrbanLink’s launch. Lilium expects to deliver its first six-passenger aircraft in 2026.
“The earth is only getting warmer and the need for airlines to de-carbonize and be emission neutral will become more intense,” Wegel continued. “There will eventually be a call for all short-haul flights in the U.S. to be flown by electric aircraft – Europe has gone to moving short-haul passengers onto trains – so solutions are needed and soon.”
Earlier this month, Wegel announced that he had secured funding to develop Air Flo. The scheduled airline is set to operate only Airbus A220 aircraft, which Wegel described as the “best narrowbody aircraft ever built.”
Wegel indicated that Air Flo’s network will mimic much of Air Florida’s narrowbody operations, which went bust in 1984. Air Flo expects to receive its first two A220s in 2025, Wegel shared in a different post.
LIFT Aero Group is designing the livery and branding for Air Flo. Wegel also has plans for a frequent flier program named Air Flo Comps, which he says “will be separate from the airline and we are already talking with a number of e-commerce sites and brands to create a much larger program, with Air Flo as an integral part.”
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