Lilium agrees partnership with Dusseldorf and Cologne/Bonn airports

Munich, 08 September 2020: Lilium, the Munich-based aviation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing aircraft for regional air mobility, has agreed with both Dusseldorf Airport and Cologne/Bonn Airport to explore how the two airports can become hubs within a regional air mobility network spanning North Rhine-Westphalia. Lilium plans to establish regional air mobility as a new mode of transportation, using its fully electric, 5-seater aircraft by 2025.

The announcement was made today in Dusseldorf in the presence of the Transportation Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wüst. As the largest and most densely populated German state (18 million inhabitants), including ten cities with over 300,000 inhabitants, as well as more than 40 universities and colleges and four international trade fair locations, North Rhine-Westphalia is an ideal location for Lilium landing sites. The Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area is the largest in Germany and the third largest in Europe. It now aims to become home to mobility in the third dimension.

North Rhine-Westphalia Transport Minister Hendrik Wüst explained: "What sounds like science fiction today may soon be reality. In the federal state with the highest mobility needs, smart ideas for better mobility are always welcome. We need all modes of transport in order to provide people with a convincingly diverse range of mobility options.“

He added: "North Rhine-Westphalia is a model region for the mobility of the future. We want digitally-networked mobility in North Rhine-Westphalia not only to be researched and developed, but also experienced as soon as possible. This is why we support and promote many future-oriented projects and research projects here in North-Rhine-Westphalia."

As international traffic hubs with excellent connections to air, rail and road traffic, the two airports Cologne/Bonn and Dusseldorf are an ideal starting point for the development of networked mobility, which also includes air taxis.

"We are excited to bring our innovative service to North Rhine-Westphalia," says Lilium COO Dr. Remo Gerber. "Cities such as Aachen, Bielefeld, Münster and Siegen will be directly connected to the region’s largest international airports within 30mins, providing emission-free, high-speed connectivity at an affordable price.”

Remo Gerber added: "North Rhine-Westphalia and its airports are ideal partners for us to implement this ambitious project of the future – we are grateful to receive this support from both the Ministry and our partners at the airports to implement our vision".

Notes to Editors

Background:

Dusseldorf Airport

Dusseldorf Airport is the largest airport in North Rhine-Westphalia. Located in one of the economically strongest regions in Europe with 18 million inhabitants within a radius of 100 kilometers, Dusseldorf Airport is of outstanding importance for meeting the mobility needs of the citizens and the economy in North Rhine-Westphalia and the south-eastern Netherlands. In addition to this, the airport as the largest workplace in Dusseldorf provides considerable employment impulses for the state.

Cologne/Bonn Airport

Cologne Bonn Airport is one of the most important commercial airports in Germany. Geographically, it is located in one of the most densely populated and one of the largest import and export regions in Europe. In contrast to most other German airports, Cologne/Bonn operates two almost equally strong business segments, passenger traffic and air freight. Air freight ensures the supply of goods to the people and companies in the region, who depend on deliveries from all over the world.

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 considerably faster than rail or road, yet competitive in price. The demonstrator aircraft first flew in 2019 and is a five-seater, fully-electric aircraft that can take-off and land vertically (eVTOL). 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 is headquartered in Munich and currently employs more than 500 people.

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

MEDIA CONTACT:

For enquiries in English:

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Dr. Rainer Ohler

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+49 (0) 172 489 0353

*Imagery: Rendering of a possible vertiport at Cologne Bonn Airport (Copyright: CGN/Lilium)