Former Airbus CEO Thomas Enders will serve as chair of Lilium’s board of directors after the German eVTOL aircraft developer completes its merger with special purpose acquisition company Qell. The deal, which is set to generate total proceeds of around $830 million, is due to be concluded by the end of June.
Lilium announced Enders’ appointment during its inaugural Analyst Day event on June 15. Enders, who joined the companies advisory board in January, said he is, “focused on expanding this world-class board of directors to support CEO Daniel Wiegand and his great management team, and set the course for success.” Qell founder and CEO Barry Engle is also a board director.
Analysts were briefed on the roles that program partners will play in the development of the seven-seat, all-electric Lilium Jet, which features 36 ducted fans installed in a fixed-wing and canard, and is due to enter service in 2024. These include Honeywell Aerospace (fly-by-wire controls, avionics, and certification support), Palantir (intelligence and data management), Lufthansa Aviation Training (pilot recruitment and training), and Ferrovial (vertiports). Both Honeywell and Palantir are directly investing in Lilium. Lilium has also signed up business aviation services group Luxaviation to provide operational support for its planned air taxi services.
During the Analyst Day, Lilium presented a new video that gives a representation of the Lilium Jet’s cabin interior. This shows six passenger seats and a separate hold for luggage.
