Two German companies, the Lufthansa aviation group and Lilium, a manufacturer of eVtol (Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing), have signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the purchase and sale of air taxi. The aim of the two companies is to offer customers a last mile air transport service, between cities and airports.

The agreement sees the Lilium company manage future flight operations, maintenance of the electric aircraft and crew. The companies will also work together on the integration of airspace and on the creation and management of a European network of vertiports, that is spaces intended for the landing and take-off of air taxis.

The agreement follows a first agreement dating back to 2020 and with which Lufthansa committed to training future pilots of the Lilium air taxi. As specified by Klaus Roewe, CEO of the German start-up, the new partnership provides that Lilium will be able to offer the air transport service to Lufthansa customers in the future. 

The German manufacturer Lilium has already started its aircraft production at the new factory located in the town of Wessling, Bavaria. Here the parts of the six-seater air taxi (plus the pilot) will be assembled. The aircraft has an empty weight of 3100 kg, features Vertical Electric engines (320 kW total power), has a cruising speed of 280 km/h and a range of 300 km. Flight certification from the European Aviation Safety Authority (Easa), or the European aviation safety agency, is expected in 2044.