Lilium, NetJets & FlightSafety launch electric aviation partnership
Electric flight taxi developer Lilium has reached a memorandum of understanding on a far-reaching strategic partnership with business aviation company NetJets. This provides options for up to 150 Lilium aircraft for NetJets. In addition, NetJets wants to support Lilium in expanding its business in the USA and Europe.
The cooperation is still subject to the parties finalising terms and conditions and determining definitive agreements. With regard to Lilium’s business in the US, NetJets intends to support the purchase of Lilium aircraft by private individuals with a sales campaign.
In addition, the two companies will explore a business model for operating the Lilium network in Florida as well as other regions of the US and Europe, according to a statement. NetJets says it operates the world’s largest fleet of private jets. The company’s strong ownership base will provide Lilium with economies of scale and support for its ecosystem in the US, where plans for a Florida transportation hub are moving forward, it said.
Under the agreement, Lilium will also partner with FlightSafety International, a professional aviation training company. To support Lilium’s jet operations, the MoU provides for products and services such as courseware, crew training and related equipment.
“This partnership is a major step in our mission to build radically better ways of moving and to electrify regional air travel,” says Daniel Wiegand, co-founder and CEO of Lilium. “We believe that the private and business professional segments will be highly attractive markets in the future and, likewise, early adopters of the eVTOL revolution.”
Lilium had announced its expansion plan into the US in November 2020. According to this, the first hub for electric air mobility was to be established in Orlando in the US state of Florida by 2025. In Germany, Lilium wants to turn the airports of Munich and Nuremberg into hubs for a regional air mobility network in Bavaria. The development of the air mobility network in Bavaria is based on partnerships with the two airports.
Lilium has been listed on the US technology exchange Nasdaq since September 2021. For this purpose, the company merged with the already listed special purpose vehicle Qell. Lilium raised less than hoped through the IPO, as 65 per cent of the original Qell shareholders preferred to return their papers instead of exchanging them for Lilium shares.
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