The Munich air taxi developers from Lilium are looking forward to their first major order. Azul wants to transfer one billion US dollars to Munich. For this purpose, Lilium is to deliver 220 air taxis and, together with Azul, build a network of flight and landing stations for the company’s whiz kid across Brazil. The signature on the relevant contract does not seem to be quite dry yet. Lilium points out in a press release that the information is subject to a final agreement.
New seven-seater is being built
“The aircraft that we want to start operating will be a speed of 280 kilometers per hour, ”Alexander Asseily, Lilium’s chief strategist, told CNBC on Monday. “The range will be 250 kilometers.”
The current Lilium jet is therefore not the one that will be the subject of the contract, because it is a five-seater model. According to Asseily, Azul wants to order seven-seaters at a unit price of around $ 4.5 million. The corresponding production line is already half finished, according to the manager.
Azul is considered a strong partner in Brazil
Azul is the largest domestic airline in Brazil in terms of the number of cities it serves and the number of daily departures. Its boss, John Rodgerson, sees the strength of his brand as the pull that is required to “create the markets and demand for the Lilium Jet network in Brazil”.
The tasks are clearly distributed. Azul wants to operate the Lilium jet fleet and ensure maintenance, while Lilium will provide a platform for technical monitoring of the aircraft, the necessary batteries, as well as spare parts and other materials. Azul will assist Lilium with all regulatory approval processes in Brazil. It should start in different regions of Brazil as early as 2025.
As the Süddeutsche found out, the region around São Paulo should form an initial focus. The largest helicopter airport in the world is already located there. Compared to a helicopter, the Lilium jets are said to have up to 75 percent lower operating costs. That would be a strong argument for a successful market entry.
Merger with Spac ensures capitalization
Lilium now wants to raise additional capital in the order of 830 million dollars and thus come to a company valuation of 3.3 billion dollars. The money is to be acquired through a merger with the shell company Qell Acquisition Corp., which is already listed on the Nasdaq, and is chaired by former Airbus boss Thomas Enders. We at t3n have already explained in detail what a Spac (“Special Purpose Acquisition Vehicle”) is. In short, it is a possibility to go directly to the stock exchange without further ado.
After the merger, ex-Tesla HR manager Gabrielle Toledano and aviation manager Henri Courpron will be appointed to the board of directors of the company, which will then be called Lilium NV. The Board of Directors will be the top management body of the new company.
