Electric aircraft manufacturer and regional air mobility pioneer Lilium is expanding its “Power-On” aftermarket services portfolio, the German eVTOL company said at the Farnborough Airshow this week. Power-On provides a suite of digital solutions to ensure efficient and seamless operations of the Lilium Jet eVTOL.
In partnership with several digital providers, Lilium intends to deliver a full gamut of offerings for all aspects of the daily operation of the aircraft, including flight planning, flight data monitoring, ground operations, and MRO services.
Initial partners already contribute to Lilium’s flight test campaign as part of the first phase. In a briefing at the Farnborough Airshow on Sunday, chief operating officer Sebastien Borel told reporters that testing and certification would involve around 1,000 flight hours before the aircraft gains regulatory approval from EASA and other watchdogs.
Microsoft’s Azure cloud solution will monitor the health of the aircraft to streamline its path to flight test clearance. As development continues, the offering will expand to integrate additional capabilities for efficient flight planning, using proprietary algorithms for Lilium’s energy and propulsion systems, and ground operations and vertiport management systems suitable for various types of landing sites.
Power-On will also work with travel technology company Amadeus on passenger check-in and biometric vertiport security screening and plans to use Amadeus’s global reservation system for eVTOL operations.
GE Aerospace’s event management system will supply flight data monitoring to improve safety management and training. Customers will also be able to access technical documents and request engineering support through a dedicated customer portal, which will integrate artificial intelligence functions for more efficient workflows.
“Our goal is to ensure that every aspect of operating the Lilium Jet is efficient, safe, and as seamless as possible,” said Borel.
Separately, in a representative survey conducted in the UK, Lilium found that almost three-quarters (71%) of the UK population want to see cleaner forms of air travel. More than 60% of respondents said they were concerned by aviation’s impact on environmental noise, traffic, congestion near large airports, and damage to rural environments.
Last week Lilium announced a firm order from the Saudia Group for 50 Lilium Jets and options on 50 more on July 18. It expects the aircraft to become commercially operational in 2026.
In a July 2024 SEC filing on the Saudia announcement, Lilium said its order book consists of 106 firm orders and reservations, 76 options, and roughly 600 aircraft under MOU.