Lilium

Lilium was a German aerospace company that developed the Lilium Jet, an electrically powered vertical take-off and landing aircraft. It was founded in 2015 by four engineers from the Technical University of Munich and was based in Gauting, Bavaria. The company ceased operations in December 2024.

What the company built

The Lilium Eagle, an uncrewed two-seat proof-of-concept aircraft, first flew near Munich on 20 April 2017. A five-seat prototype named Phoenix followed in May 2019, using 36 electrically driven ducted propellers mounted in tilting flaps. Lilium stated targets of about 300 km/h maximum speed and 300 km range for the five-seat design. The company listed on the Nasdaq in September 2021 through a merger with the special-purpose acquisition company Qell.

Insolvency and closure

On 24 October 2024, after failing to secure a loan guarantee from the Bavarian government, Lilium's board approved an application for self-administration for its German subsidiaries. On 20 December 2024 the company ceased operations and laid off about 1,000 staff. An investor consortium, Mobile Uplift Corporation GmbH, announced on 24 December 2024 that it would buy parts of the insolvent business, but the promised funding did not arrive, and on 21 February 2025 the company filed for insolvency again.