Lilium builds airframe with Aciturri

Munich/Miranda de Ebro, 23 February 2021: Lilium, the aviation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing jet (eVTOL) and service for regional air mobility, and Aciturri, the leading global manufacturer of aerostructures and aero engine components, today announce a long-term partnership to build the airframe of the Lilium Jet.

The partnership follows a competitive procurement process and is a significant step towards prototyping for serial production of the Lilium Jet. The agreement also marks a new growth segment for Aciturri, whose experience in catering to tier one businesses, including the design and manufacturing of major airframe components for Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer, cemented their leading position in the industry.

Aciturri will handle the production of the Lilium Jet’s primary composite structures, which will use materials supplied by Toray Industries, with whom Lilium signed an agreement for the supply of high-performance carbon fiber composite material in May 2020.

This partnership will combine the expertise of Lilium's engineers with Aciturri's proficiency in high-quality manufacturing. They will work together collaboratively on a bespoke design, accounting for the industrialization of the manufacturing process, the design of the complex fuselage structure, as well as the highly integrated canards and wing structures which support the aircraft propulsion systems.

Yves Yemsi, Chief Program Officer at Lilium commented, “During my 16 years at Airbus, I became well acquainted with Aciturri’s capabilities in producing complex composite structures for commercial aircraft, to exacting quality standards. Few companies in the world have mastered designing and manufacturing aerospace composite structures like Aciturri. It is for this reason that the company is an ideal partner for Lilium, as we continue our strategy of working with the best tier one aerospace suppliers. This is imperative as we manage de-risking high volume production of our aircraft. We are excited to have Aciturri fully on board as we prepare for prototyping and serial manufacture ahead of our commercial launch.”

Commenting further on the partnership, Alvaro Fernandez Baragaño, Chief Executive Officer at Aciturri shared, “We have long sought innovation in all that we do, and Lilium is no exception. We look forward to building this special relationship to support Lilium in achieving their vision of bringing this unique aircraft to life. This long-term partnership allows us to work collaboratively with Lilium through its early operational years, and beyond, throughout which we will continue to explore new methods and advanced technologies which our advanced techniques are capable of achieving, to ensure production of the highest quality and at growing scale.”

About Lilium

Lilium is an aviation company developing an emissions-free regional air mobility service. It has designed and prototyped the Lilium Jet, a brand-new type of aircraft that will enable it to deliver regional journeys that are faster than rail or road, yet competitive in price. The full-scale five-seater demonstrator first flew in May 2019 and is a fully electric aircraft that can take-off and land vertically (eVTOL). The Lilium Jet has 36 all-electric ducted fans with acoustic liners, capable of capturing and dissipating noise before it leaves the engine, thus blending into typical urban environments. Lilium expects to service a sizable global market demand by connecting communities at a fraction of the cost of conventional high-speed infrastructure, with zero operating emissions.

Co-founded in 2015 by four visionary engineers, Daniel Wiegand (CEO), Sebastian Born, Matthias Meiner and Patrick Nathen, Lilium has attracted more than $375m in funding from world-class investors such as Atomico, Tencent, Baillie Gifford, LGT, Freigeist and Obvious Ventures. Lilium has offices in Munich, Zurich, London, and Washington D.C., and currently employs more than 600 people.

Find out more at www.lilium.com, or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Medium.

About Aciturri

A family company founded in 1977, Aciturri is one of the main references worldwide in the development and manufacture of aeronautical components. With a turnover in 2019 of 623 million euros, the company has two lines of business; design, manufacture and assembly of aerostructures (wing assemblies, fuselage, empennage, etc); and the manufacture of engine components: primary structures, casings, rings and high precision machining.

Its customers include the main manufacturers in the sector: Airbus, Airbus Defence and Space, Boeing, Embraer, Safran Landing Systems, Safran Aircraft Engines, ITP Aero, and Rolls Royce.

The company currently has over 2,200 employees and work centres in Spain (Andalusia, Castile and Leon, Madrid, the Basque Country and Asturias), Portugal and Brazil.