Chairman Gilbert forges new lane for Urban Air Mobility in Miami-Dade County with tour of operations with UAM leader BLADE

MIAMI-DADE – Chairman Oliver G. Gilbert, III will meet with BLADE Urban Air Mobility to discuss the future of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) operations in Miami-Dade County at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 11 at BLADE Lounge Miami at Miami-Opa-locka Executive Airport (OPF), 4340 NW 145th St., Opa-locka, FL 33054.

Building on legislation that the Chairman sponsored in 2021 to develop a UAM System implementation plan for Miami-Dade County with operations beginning in 2026, this meeting will explore the vitality of aviation transportation, which can improve transportation challenges such as traffic congestion, fuel emissions, and noise and energy levels currently experienced by residents. UAM diversifies the use of air travel with the objective to transport people and resources quicker and safer.

BLADE is a global UAM platform that provides quick travel through by-the-seat scheduled flights and private flight chartering. Daily air transportation service includes a fleet of jets, helicopters, seaplanes, and turboprops. Additionally, BLADE launched its first successful, emission-free Electric Vertical Aircraft (EVA) flight in New York in February 2023.

Chairman Gilbert will engage BLADE in solutions to address growing concerns with ground transportation, ways to advance the efficiency of cargo logistics, and the adaptation of EVA.

The meeting with BLADE Urban Air Mobility will include:

• Tour of BLADE Lounge Miami and Miami-Opa-locka Executive Airport facilities
• Air tour of BLADE’s helipad location at Hard Rock Stadium
• Air transportation to PortMiami Terminal J for CoMotion Miami, a two-day conference that hosts talks, workshops, and demos on emerging mobility for public and private stakeholders

Chairman Gilbert will join CoMotion Miami’s Advance Air Mobility (AAM) Industry Meeting speaker panel scheduled at 2 p.m. to discuss Regulatory Structures for the AAM/UAM industry with regulatory agencies, companies developing vertiports and vehicles, and other state and city leaders.

In 2022, as Chairman of the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), Chairman Gilbert led a site visit to CoMotion LA, where he met with innovative mobility leaders and participated in a talk on preparing cities for the current and future state of aerial ridesharing. This year’s involvement with CoMotion and meeting with BLADE continue the Chairman’s efforts to move the development of UAM operations forward.