Lilium

What Lilium does

Lilium was an electrically powered aircraft developer founded in 2015 in Munich, Germany, that designed and pursued certification of the Lilium Jet, a five-seat all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet for regional air mobility. The aircraft was differentiated by a proprietary Ducted Electric Vectored Thrust (DEVT) architecture using 30+ electric jet engines, ten independently functioning high-voltage battery packs with silicon-dominant anodes, and a 900V electrical power system, targeting zero operating emissions, a low noise profile, and an initial operating range of approximately 110 miles. Lilium pursued dual FAA and EASA certification, becoming the first company to receive EASA Design Organization Approval under SC-VTOL rules in November 2023.

Lilium generated revenue through direct aircraft sales to operators (airlines, private jet companies, and executive eVTOL operators) combined with the Lilium POWER-ON aftermarket services organization (training, maintenance, battery management, digital fleet health) and CCS-standard charging infrastructure sales. Distribution relied on enterprise field sales to launch customers and channel partners, with an order pipeline of 108 firm orders and reservations, 82 options, and roughly 600 aircraft under MOU at peak. The company complemented its aircraft with a deep supplier and infrastructure ecosystem including Honeywell, Garmin, CustomCells, Aciturri, Toray, Palantir, GE Aerospace, Star Charge, Lufthansa Aviation Training, FlightSafety, Atlantic Aviation, Ferrovial, Groupe ADP, and Skyports.

The company listed on NASDAQ via a de-SPAC merger in 2021 under ticker LILM after raising more than $1 billion in cumulative funding. Despite achieving key technical and certification milestones, Lilium ran out of runway in October 2024 when the German government declined a KfW loan guarantee, prompting self-administration insolvency proceedings for its German subsidiaries, NASDAQ trading suspension in November 2024, and ultimately the collapse of a €210 million Mobile Uplift Corporation rescue deal in early 2025. The company ceased operations and filed for final insolvency in February 2025, and its approximately 300-patent portfolio was acquired by Archer Aviation for €18 million in October 2025.

Name

Lilium

Legal name

Lilium N.V.

Website

https://lilium.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Lilium was a Munich-based eVTOL aircraft developer that designed the all-electric Lilium Jet using ducted electric vectored thrust for regional air mobility operators, pursuing FAA and EASA certification until insolvency in February 2025 and sale of its patents to Archer Aviation in October 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) Aircraft

NAICS

Aircraft Manufacturing (336411), Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413)

SIC

Aircraft (3721), Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts (3724), Aircraft & Parts (3720)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Aircraft Manufacturing (Fixed-Wing) (IMABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business & General Aviation Aircraft Manufacturing (IMABAAAC)

Keywords

• Electric vertical takeoff landing
• Regional air mobility
• EVTOL aircraft manufacturing
• Aftermarket aviation services
• Advanced air mobility

Headquarters

HQ city

Gauting

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Aircraft Sales: Lilium manufactures and sells the Lilium Jet to various operators including private jet companies, airlines, and executive eVTOL operators. Revenue is generated from initial aircraft sales with pre-delivery payment structure.
2. Aftermarket Services (Lilium POWER-ON): Comprehensive customer service organization offering battery management, maintenance operations, flight operations support, training services, ground service equipment, and digital solutions. Estimated to generate at least $5 billion in recurring revenue by 2035.
3. Charging Infrastructure: Sale and deployment of charging stations to vertiport operators using CCS standard chargers with liquid-cooled cables for fast charging.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lilium designed, manufactured, and sold the Lilium Jet, a 5-seat all-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft for regional air mobility, alongside Lilium POWER-ON aftermarket services covering training, maintenance, battery management, flight operations support, ground equipment, and digital health management. Aircraft were sold directly to airlines, private jet companies, and executive eVTOL operators globally.

Product overview

Lilium's product portfolio centers on the Lilium Jet, an all-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft engineered for sustainable regional air mobility. The company complements its aircraft with Lilium POWER-ON, a comprehensive aftermarket services organization providing operators with training, maintenance, battery management, flight operations support, and digital health management solutions. Lilium also offers charging infrastructure compatibility through CCS standard adoption and provides digital platforms like Fleet Optimizer for fleet-wide data analytics and safety monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lilium Jet The Lilium Jet is an all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet designed for high-speed regional air mobility. It features Ducted Electric Vectored Thrust (DEVT) architecture, zero operating emissions, vertical take-off and landing capability, and a low noise profile. The 5-seater aircraft targets regional routes with an initial operating range of approximately 110 miles, with ten independently functioning battery packs designed to meet stringent EASA aircraft safety requirements.
• Lilium POWER-ON Lilium POWER-ON is the eVTOL industry's first comprehensive aftermarket services organization for operators, offering training services, maintenance operations, material and battery management, flight operations support, ground service equipment, and digital solutions including aircraft health management via GE Aerospace and Palantir partnerships. Estimated services market of at least $5 billion by 2035.

Quantifiable outcome

• First eVTOL company to receive EASA Design Organization Approval under SC-VTOL rules (2023)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• The Ambitious Group (AAMG)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 5 December 2024Executive eVTOL operator binding sales agreement for 8 Lilium Jets with option for 6 more; planning operations out of Marbella, Amsterdam, and Caribbean region.
• GE AerospacecoreTechnology or Integration · 23 October 2024Partnership to deliver eVTOL flight safety through combining flight data and analytics platforms. GE's Event Measurement System (EMS) deployed to all Lilium Jet operators, starting with Lilium's flight test campaign.
• Galaxy FBOcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 26 September 2024Infrastructure partnership to ensure accessibility for Lilium Jet at Houston-area facilities including Houston Hobby Airport, Conroe North Houston Regional Airport, and The Woodlands Heliport.
• SEA Milan Airports and SkyportscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 July 2024MOU to launch Regional Air Mobility network in Northern Italy, targeting operations by 2027. Joint venture company established for vertiport development.
• Saudia GroupflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 July 2024Industry-leading sales agreement for purchase of up to 100 eVTOL jets, representing the largest single order in the eVTOL industry at the time of announcement.
• UrbanLinkflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 May 2024U.S. airline firm order of 20 Lilium Jets with option for 20 more; first U.S. airline fully committed to integrating eVTOL aircraft into its fleet for South Florida operations.
• Atlantic AviationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 13 March 2024MOU to electrify existing airport infrastructure across Atlantic's 100+ FBO network across North America to support Lilium Jet operations.
• Schnaithmann MaschinenbaucoreTechnology or Integration · 26 February 2024Partnership for design and construction of propulsion assembly line, aerostructures assembly, and final assembly line automation and robotics.
• Star ChargecoreTechnology or Integration · 20 February 2024Partnership to develop best-in-class charging system for eVTOL operations. First order of 120 CCS-compatible chargers with liquid-cooled cables for Lilium's use and customer vertiports.
• Lufthansa Aviation TrainingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 February 2024Partnership for pilot and crew training services for Lilium Jet operators.
• FlightSafety InternationalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 February 2024Partnership for flight training services for Lilium Jet operators.
• PhilJetscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 February 2024MoU for strategic collaboration to establish eVTOL operations in Southeast Asia starting with Philippines; intent to purchase 10 Lilium Jets.
• AJW GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 February 2024Global material services partnership for aircraft spares, maintenance and repair.
• HoneywellcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on avionics and flight control systems for the 7-seater Lilium Jet.
• CustomCellscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to produce high-performance silicon-anode batteries for the 7-seater Lilium Jet.
• GarmincoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration of Garmin standby flight instruments providing fully redundant flight instrumentation for the Lilium Jet cockpit.
• AciturricoreTechnology or IntegrationAirframe manufacturing partnership for Lilium Jet components.
• ToraycoreTechnology or IntegrationSupply partnership for advanced materials.
• FerrovialcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership to develop US vertiport network.
• Groupe ADPcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with leading global airport operator to expand infrastructure network for Lilium Jet.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Archer Aviation: Archer Aviation is a leading eVTOL aircraft developer pursuing FAA type certification for a piloted electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for urban air mobility. Archer is the most direct competitor to Lilium, serves overlapping markets (airline partnerships with United, etc.), and acquired Lilium's patent portfolio in October 2025 — making it both a technology successor and the most relevant operational comparator.
• Joby Aviation: Joby is a publicly-traded eVTOL aircraft developer targeting commercial air taxi operations with a tilt-rotor electric aircraft. Joby pursues FAA type certification and has airline partnerships (Delta, United) analogous to Lilium's Saudia/Azul/UrbanLink deals, with similar enterprise sales motion to operators and significant pre-revenue capital intensity.
• Vertical Aerospace: Vertical Aerospace is a UK-based eVTOL developer with a vectored thrust aircraft targeting urban air mobility, pursuing concurrent certification in the UK CAA, EASA, and FAA frameworks. The company shares Lilium's enterprise sales model (pre-orders from airlines such as Virgin Atlantic, JAL, Bristow) and dual-certification strategy.
• Eve Air Mobility: Eve Air Mobility is an Embraer-backed eVTOL developer with a lift-and-cruise configuration targeting urban air mobility. Backed by a Tier-1 aerospace OEM (Embraer), Eve shares Lilium's enterprise sales approach and Latin American airline customer base, including a comparable order pipeline from operators.
• Volocopter: Volocopter is a German-based eVTOL developer designing multirotor electric air taxis for urban air mobility, having also faced severe financial difficulties (entered insolvency proceedings in late 2024). Volocopter is directly comparable in its pre-revenue, certification-stage profile and central European operating geography, and shares Lilium's struggles with capital intensity and government support dependencies.

Emerging players

• Beta Technologies: Beta Technologies develops electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) and VTOL aircraft for cargo, medical, and defense applications with a tiltrotor configuration. While distinct in some design choices, Beta competes for similar enterprise operator customers and charging infrastructure partnerships, pursuing both FAA certification and military/commercial sales.
• Wisk Aero: Wisk Aero is a Boeing-backed autonomous eVTOL developer targeting urban air mobility with a self-flying aircraft. Wisk shares Lilium's pursuit of FAA type certification and infrastructure partnerships (vertiports), and competes in the same urban air mobility operator customer segment.
• Overair: Overair is a US-based eVTOL startup developing a tiltrotor aircraft (Butterfly) for urban air mobility, backed by Korean Air. Overair shares Lilium's enterprise sales approach, certification-stage profile, and pursuit of partnerships with airlines and infrastructure operators.
• AutoFlight: AutoFlight is a China-based eVTOL developer with a tiltrotor configuration (Prosperity I) targeting both passenger and cargo regional air mobility. AutoFlight competes in the same global eVTOL market with similar enterprise customers in Asia and Middle East, and pursues comparable EASA-style certification frameworks.

Broad incumbents

• Airbus (CityAirbus / eVTOL programs): Airbus is a global aerospace OEM with active eVTOL development programs (CityAirbus NextGen, Vahana) and serves as a broad incumbent in Lilium's competitive set. Airbus brings deep certification, supply chain, and airline customer relationships — Lilium hired Yves Yemsi from Airbus — and represents both a potential competitor and a logical strategic acquirer profile.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lilium-aviation-gmbh
• Xx.com/Lilium
• Facebookfacebook.com/LiliumAviation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds10 records

Investors19 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lilium