The first type-compliant aircraft will begin manned tests in mid-2024, but it has already taken flight in the skies over Ticino. The Lilium Jet eVTOL (‘electrical Vertical Take-Off Landing’), five of which have been ordered by the private aviation company Air-Dynamic based in Agno, is a real revolution in fast travel between the busiest urban centres, so much so that it will only take 15 minutes to reach Milan from Lugano. Delivery of the aircraft is scheduled for 2026.
Fast and silent
“The Lilium Jet’s unique architecture sets it apart from the rest of the current market, as it is the only fully electric eVTOL aircraft with a very low noise profile that makes it virtually silent in flight.” Raffaella Meledandri, CEO of Air-Dynamic, which reached this prestigious agreement with German manufacturer Lilium, also points out that ‘the new jet’s ducted fan technology features small engines that allow the Lilium eVTOL to look and fly like a jet aircraft, but take off and land vertically like a helicopter.
Comfortable and luxurious journey
The significantly larger cabin will provide a more comfortable and luxurious flying experience for a true premium aircraft with 4 seats plus pilot. The technology with 30 electric motors and 10 battery packs (rechargeable in 55 minutes at 350 kW) guarantee the highest safety standards, so much so that the probability of failure is one in a billion flight hours. The Lilium jet reaches a top speed of 280 km/h with a range of 175 km, allowing it to fly at high speed over regional distances with considerable time savings for passengers compared to current ground transportation.
Costs appropriate to an express service
An exclusive taxi service for around 250 euros from Lugano to Milan. The costs estimated by Lilium for travel with the revolutionary all-electric jet are equal to those of a traditional Agusta 109 helicopter, i.e. between 3,000 and 3,500 euros per hour. Considering that the route from Lugano to the centre of Milan will be covered in 15 minutes, and the amount can be divided among four passengers, the fare will not exceed 250 euros per person. The cost of a taxi for the same route by car (lasting 90 minutes) is 200 euros minimum.
Lugano city of energy
For its efficient use of energy, active climate protection, the development of renewable energies and sustainable mobility, the City of Lugano has received federal recognition in 2019 in this environmentally important context, in which ‘zero-impact aviation’ has set itself the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Sara Beretta Piccoli, City Councillor and Member of the Grand Council for the Liberal Greens, emphasises how ‘this new mobility helps to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and promote the transition to a more sustainable energy system. Moreover, technological innovation in this area has made significant advances in batteries, engines and energy management systems’.
- Name: Lilium Jet eVTOL (‘electrical Vertical Take-Off Landing’)
- Manufacturer: Lilium GmbH, Oberpfaffenhofen Airport (Munich)
- Weight: 3,175 kg
- Speed: max. 280 km/h
- Autonomy: 175 km (minimum guaranteed 130 km)
- Charging time: approx. 55 minutes per full charge
- Dimensions: 11 metres wide, 14 metres wingspan, 3 metres height, 3 m x 1.4 m interior
- Flying altitude: max. 10’000 ft (3’000 Mt Slm)
- Date of commencement of flight operations: 2026
