Nov 14, 2025
Takeoff 2025 Showcase GOAA's Future Initiatives, Plans
Lance Lyttle, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, addresses the audience during Takeoff 2025.
ORLANDO, Fla. – In a nod to innovation and the future of aviation, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) today hosted Takeoff 2025 to highlight how Orlando International (MCO) and Orlando Executive (ORL) airports will grow and evolve during the next decade.
The event, held at Magic Carpet Aviation, attracted business and community leaders from across Central Florida and provided an opportunity to network amongst the backdrop of planes and runway activity at Orlando International Airport. GOAA Board Chair Stephanie Kopelousos welcomed the audience to the sun-filled space and introduced GOAA CEO Lance Lyttle, who joined the Aviation Authority in April.
Building on GOAA’s four foundational pillars of Customer Experience, Community, Infrastructure, and People, Mr. Lyttle told the audience that GOAA plans to create places where technology and hospitality work to serve people better.
“Building the airport of the future is more than an aspiration. It’s part of who we are. It’s the essence of our work and the spirit that guides every decision we make,” Mr. Lyttle said. “It means being smarter, more sustainable, and more connected. It means creating places where technology and hospitality work hand in hand to serve people better. It’s about moving from function to experience, from infrastructure to inspiration.”
Marc Randolph, Netflix Co-Founder & Former CEO, was the event’s guest speaker. He followed Mr. Lyttle’s remarks and encouraged the audience to push forward on their ideas, saying it’s hard to tell a good idea from a bad idea and that “nobody knows anything.”
“It is the key to understanding innovation. Because if nobody knows anything, you only have one thing to do, which is you’ve got to take that risk,” he said.
Following his remarks, Mr. Randolph sat down with Mr. Lyttle for a Q&A session. The two discussed how innovative companies and organizations don’t shrink from disruption but embrace it because disruption can be good for everyone.
The event also briefly covered some of the initiatives GOAA will focus on during the next five to 10 years, including:
-
Building a reputation for hospitality and creating seamless journeys for travelers as staff aims for a 5-Star Skytrax airport rating.
-
Strengthening partnerships and expanding opportunity by developing new cargo facilities, advancing plans for an FAA-approved on-airport Advanced Air Mobility vertiport by 2030, and increasing non-aeronautical revenue to reinvest in Central Florida.
-
Modernizing Terminals A and B, complete with a new baggage handling system, continuing to expand Terminal C, and increasing parking by 8,000 spaces.
-
Launching a fully operational Business Incubator at MCO to drive innovation and strategic growth, including increasing the number of small businesses working with MCO by 40%.
These initiatives are part of GOAA’s Visioning Plan, which the Board approved in October.
Orlando International and Orlando Executive airports are two of Florida’s premier air travel gateways with a combined economic impact of $41 billion dollars. MCO served more than 57 million passengers in 2024 and is ranked the No.1 airport in Florida, the 9th airport in the U.S., and the 25th busiest airport in the world.
About Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority is proud to operate Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Orlando Executive Airport (ORL), two of Florida’s premier air travel gateways. MCO is a world-class global connector, serving nearly 58 million annual passengers across its three terminals, A, B and C. Connected to an Intermodal Terminal Facility that offers high-speed passenger rail service, Terminal C is an inventive structure that elevates the customer experience with 100% automated screening lanes at TSA checkpoints. ORL is conveniently located just miles from downtown Orlando and provides vital general aviation access to the heart of the region.
For more information, please contact the Office of Public Affairs at the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority at 407-825-2055 or email us at MCOPIO@goaa.org for further assistance.