FutureFlight
Lilium Hopes To Resume eVTOL Flight Testing in Coming Months
The German company says it is still on track to start operating its five-seat all-electric aircraft in air taxi operations from 2025.
Lilium Jet
Flight testing of Lilium's second eVTOL technology demonstrator was interrupted by Covid-19 restrictions. [Photo: Lilium]

Germany-based Lilium is preparing to resume flight testing with a second demonstrator example of its all-electric Lilium Jet eVTOL aircraft once restrictions imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic are eased. A small contingent of the company’s engineering team is currently able to work on the aircraft at its headquarters near Munich and a spokesman told FutureFlight that it hopes changes to social distancing rules will permit flight tests to restart in “a few months.”

The second technology demonstrator will be the same size as the first, which finished flight testing in October 2019, and will incorporate some design changes to the five-seat aircraft. The second phase of flight testing, which was interrupted by both Covid-19 and a fire in Lilium’s facilities, is expected to see the aircraft flown faster and demonstrate a full transition to wing-borne cruise flight as the company aims to complete the preliminary design review.