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The Lilium Jet will be operated in Europe by business aviation group Luxaviation. (Image: Luxaviation)
Lilium is partnering with business aircraft operator Luxaviation to provide commercial operations with its seven-seat eVTOL aircraft in Europe from 2024. Under the terms of the contract announced today, Luxaviation will take responsibility for securing necessary regulatory approvals and managing pilots, who will train following an EASA-approved type rating concept developed by Lilium partner Lufthansa Aviation Training.
The German startup said that it chose the Luxembourg-based group because of its extensive experience in operating business jets and helicopters. Luxaviation manages hundreds of aircraft under 10 air operator certificates (AOCs) across Europe, giving it operational flexibility. The company was the first to secure the new EASA AOC approval for a business jet operation, which is valid across all 27 EU member states.
By Dominic Perry2021-05-13T14:16:00+01:00
German electric aviation start-up Lilium is aiming to sell its seven-seat Lilium Jet for an initial unit cost of $2.5 million, according to documents filed as part of its US stock market listing.
Lilium is merging with a US-listed ‘blank cheque’ company called Qell Corporation as it seeks additional financial resources to bring the jet to market.
Source: Lilium
Service entry is scheduled for 2024
The cost estimate is contained in a registration document filed on 5 May with the US Securities and Exchange Commission as part of that process.
“At launch we expect jet unit costs of approximately $2.5 million, which we anticipate will decrease as we scale up our manufacturing operations,” the document says.
By Dominic Perry2021-04-22T08:39:00+01:00
Germany’s Lilium expects in the near future to resume flight tests of its five-seat Lilium Jet demonstrator, even as it works towards the arrival of a larger seven-seat prototype in 2022.
Flight-test activity at the German start-up has been curtailed since early 2020 when an electrical fire destroyed its previous five-seat demonstrator.
Source: Lilium
Commercial launch will be with seven-seat design
However, in the wake of a recent takeover and stock market listing announcement, and the switch to a larger aircraft, the company is keen to prove out its technology ahead of a certification campaign that is scheduled to last little more than a year.