Lilium touts eVTOL production launch, Lufthansa air taxi accord

German air taxi developer Lilium has announced the passing of two major milestones with the production launch of its electric vertical takeoff and landing jet (eVTOL), and an agreement to explore the craft’s operation in partnership with the nation’s flag carrier airline, Lufthansa.

Lilium revealed the two developments a week after it obtained key certification for its eVTOL project from European Union regulators, which effectively allows the startup to assume its own oversight of continued work on the aircraft. Hot on the heels of that authorization, the company announced the start of the air taxi jet’s production.

Initially that activity will involve key eVTOL components made in different facilities being assembled at what will become Lilium’s main production center in Wessling. That unit has already received a completed fuselage, to which other components of the air taxi like wings, canards, and navigational tech will be added to create the completed plane. 

The opening phase of Lilium’s production will focus on seven eVTOL jets that will be used for test flights in the approval process the company is pursuing in both the EU and US. Once Type Certification is obtained, the startup plans to launch air taxi services after 2025.

In anticipation of those, Lilium also announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to explore eVTOL operations supporting Lufthansa’s business. The link-up between the two German aviation companies mirrors those struck by US air taxi developers like Archer and Joby with domestic carriers United and Delta.

Lilium’s agreement with Lufthansa calls for exploring different facets of future air taxi services for airline customers. Those include eVTOL flight operation, aircraft maintenance, and pilot flight training.

They’ll also study possible partnering with third parties like major German airports and regional airfields in the use and integration of next generation craft, their integration into local airspaces, and creation of dedicated infrastructure like vertiports.

“The Lufthansa Group aspires to be a global leader in the integration of state-of-the-art products and processes,” said airline executive board member Detlef Kayser. “We want to develop aviation further and drive the transformation of the industry. This Memorandum of Understanding with Lilium will make an important contribution to this. Only with innovation, courage and determination can we, as an industry, make aviation more sustainable and master the challenges of the future.”

For his part, Lilium CEO Klaus Roewe cheered the first steps in the production process of the company’s eVTOLs, which are expected to lead to the Wessling plant eventually delivering hundreds of air taxis serving clients like Lufthansa, and public riders across the globe per year.

“To see the first aircraft fuselage on the final assembly line ready to join up with the canard and wings is a proud moment for everyone involved in our mission to make aviation sustainable,” said Rowe. “We firmly believe the Lilium Jet will usher in a new era of sustainable regional mobility, offering the highest safety standards, as well as superior comfort, unit economics, and customer experience.”