Munich, Germany-headquartered Lilium has announced it is entering into a strategic alliance with Brazilian airline Azul to create an exclusive eVTOL network in Brazil. Azul will buy 220 of the 7-seater Lilium electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jets for up to US$1 billion.
It is anticipated that the network will become operational in 2025. Currently, Brazil has a 100 million domestic air passenger market as well as substantial civilian helicopter and business aviation markets. Azul will operate and maintain the Lilium Jet fleet, while Lilium will provide an aircraft health monitoring platform, replacement batteries, and other custom spare parts. Azul will also support Lilium with the necessary regulatory approval processes in Brazil for certification of the Lilium Jet and any other required regulatory approvals.
Daniel Wiegand, Co-Founder and CEO of Lilium said: “Azul has brought convenient and affordable air travel to underserved markets across the Americas and this makes them an ideal partner for Lilium. We're excited to work with Azul's seasoned team to deploy a co-branded eVTOL network in Brazil. We're also thrilled to welcome Gabrielle Toledano and Henri Courpron to the future Board of Directors of Lilium N.V., where they'll strengthen our Board with their operational and financial experience.”
John Rodgerson, CEO of Azul, said: “Azul is the largest domestic airline in Brazil in terms of cities served and daily departures. Our brand presence, our unique route network, and our powerful loyalty program give us the tools to create the markets and demand for the Lilium Jet network in Brazil. As we did in the Brazilian domestic market over the last 13 years, we look forward to again, now with the Lilium Jet, working to create a whole new market in the years to come.”
