Flying Taxis to Disney World? Takeover Bill Specifically Allows Development of Helipads

The past few years have not been easy for out-of-state Guests trying to visit the Walt Disney World Resort, but a closer look at the State Takeover legislation suggests that a mutually-desired innovative solution could be in the works.

Read More: Flying Into Orlando? Here’s How to Get to Walt Disney World Without Disney’s Magical Express

While the Sunshine Flyer provides shuttle service from Orlando International Airport (MCO), Disney’s Magical Express and Minnie Van airport service has been discontinued, making the airport transfers more complicated and more expensive. On top of that, Brightline’s original plans to build a new station for its high-speed rail network on property to connect folks directly from MCO to Disney World have been thrown out, with the closest drop-off point planned around International Drive.

Related: Dreams of Disney World Airport in Jeopardy with State Takeover

Many fans simply hope for the return of Disney’s Magical Express, but a look at Florida’s takeover bill of Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District suggests that Disney still has room to innovate and bring about the next stage of transportation, leaving busses and trains behind.

In a section of the bill that discusses the district’s amended powers regarding transportation, it states specifically,

“In addition, the district may own, acquire, construct, reconstruct, equip, operate, maintain, extend, and improve helipads and sites for vertical takeoff and landings within the boundaries of the district.”

Click here to read the entire legislation for yourself.

That line appears oddly specific to this reporter. Why did Florida Lawmakers feel a need to isolate this situation from the other modes of transportation, from buses and boats to monorails and airplanes?

Could Walt Disney World Resort possibly be pursuing plans to build a heliport able to receive flying taxis from MCO and all over parts of the Sunshine State?

Are Flying Taxis Florida’s Transportation Future?

Flying taxis have been a pipe dream for some time but appears to be getting rapidly closer to reality.

In 2020, it was announced that

“Joby Aviation, a transportation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing passenger aircraft, which it intends to operate as early as 2023, today announced that Uber Technologies, Inc (NYSE: UBER) has agreed to invest a further$75 million in Joby as part of a broader transaction involving the acquisition of Uber Elevate by Joby and an expanded partnership between the two parent companies.”

And in 2022, CNBC reported that United Airlines “agreed to buy 200 electric air taxis from Eve Air Mobility, an Embraer-backed startup, and that it has options to purchase 200 more,” and that “United said it expects the first deliveries of the aircraft as early as 2026.”

Imagine landing at Orlando International Airport and walking through the terminal to one more gate where a helicopter, like the ones shown above, is waiting to fly you high above the busy Florida Turnpike and Interstate 4 straight to a terminal the Walt Disney World Resort–catching stunning aerial views of Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, and all of your other favorite locations–where Disney World Bus Transportation is waiting to take you and your family to your Resort Hotel.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has also made it incredibly obvious that improving the state’s transportation infrastructure is one of his top priorities, from investing heavily in updating highway systems to offering year-long toll relief to commuters. It is hard to see, at least from this Floridian’s perspective, that he would be against the creation of such a traffic-relieving network.

Aerial view of Epcot at night. pic.twitter.com/8oU2Hkf6rm

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) July 12, 2019

Related: Kingdom Conquest Complete? Disney World Will NOT Fight State Takeover

The Walt Disney World Resort has also taken significant heat from fans and industry critics for falling out of pace with the standard of high-quality service and innovation that it set over the last 50 years. The establishment of one of the first flying taxi services in the United States would undoubtedly demonstrate its determination to return to that Disney Standard.

It should be noted at this time, however, that this is purely speculation at this time, and there is no official word from anyone at Disney to confirm or deny any such developments. We will be sure to update our readers if any official details do come to light in the near future.