Lilium partners with German airports as regional air mobility hubs

On Sept. 8 Lilium, (Munich, Germany) an aerospace company developing eVTOL aircraft, made an agreement with both Düsseldorf Airport and Cologne/Bonn Airport to explore how the two airports can become hubs within a regional air mobility network spanning North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Lilium plans to establish regional air mobility as a new mode of transportation, using its composites-intensive, fully electric, five-seater aircraft, the Lilium Jet, by 2025.

The announcement was made in Düsseldorf 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 said to be 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.

“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,” says North Rhine-Westphalia Transport Minister Hendrik Wüst.

He adds, "North Rhine-Westphalia is a model region for the mobility of the future. We want digitally-networked mobility 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."

According to Lilium, as international traffic hubs with connection to air, rail and road traffic, the two airports Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf 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 thirty minutes, providing emission-free, high-speed connectivity at an affordable price.”