German start-up Lilium has unveiled a five-seater jet-powered electric air taxi prototype that it plans to have operational in a number of cities around the world in the next six years.
The company revealed the design of the five-seater Lilium Jet electric aircraft last week and announced that it had completed its maiden flight earlier this month.
The five-seater Lilium Jet has completed its maiden flight
Lilium "expects to be fully operational in various cities around the world by 2025, although trial services will start earlier than this in several locations", said the company in a statement. According to the start-up, it is already in talks with "a number of cities" about using the planes commercially.
The five-person design is an update on Lilium's two-seater jet that successfully completed flight testing in April 2017. Lilium expects the plane to be fully operational worldwide by 2025
"Moving from two to five seats was always our ambition as it enables us to open up the skies to many more travellers," said Lilium founder and CEO Daniel Wiegand.
"Whether its friends or families flying together or business travellers ride-sharing into the city, having five seats delivers an economy of scale you just can't achieve with two."
The prototype aircraft is designed to take off and land vertically
Like the original two-seater, the new five-seat prototype aircraft is designed to take off and land vertically before switching to flying horiz...