With eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft set to become commercially viable in the coming years, GE Aerospace has partnered with Lilium, the electric aircraft manufacturer and pioneer in regional air mobility (RAM), to lay a robust safety foundation for this new mode of transportation. Together, the companies are combining their flight data and analytics platforms to develop scalable flight data management solutions, ensuring proper safety standards and guidelines for eVTOL operators.
At the heart of this collaboration is GE’s Event Measurement System (EMS) platform, a key component of Lilium’s comprehensive aftermarket offering, “POWER-ON”. This service provides safe, efficient and customer-focused solutions for Lilium Jet operators. Customers will benefit from a variety of digital services offering critical insights and actionable data to support day-to-day operations. The Lilium Jet is already flying at demonstration and testing sites in the US, Europe, and Asia, with first customer deliveries expected by 2026. JP Morgan forecasts the eVTOL market to grow to US$1 trillion by 2040.
As part of their collaboration, GE Aerospace and Lilium will create an OEM-level Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) or Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) programme to monitor the safety of eVTOL operations on a fleet-wide scale. Additionally, the partnership will establish an optional voluntary FDM programme for Lilium customers, developed collaboratively by the two companies.
GE’s EMS is already used by over 60 airlines and more than 500 business jet operators worldwide for FDM/FOQA. The partnership will leverage the data from Lilium’s Fleet Optimizer, the core platform for all Lilium Jet-related data and analytics, integrating it with GE’s EMS platform. This integration will enable both companies to develop scalable FDM solutions and establish a strong safety foundation for eVTOL operators. Through this partnership, GE and Lilium will also explore ways to enhance the efficiency and reliability of Lilium Jets by combining the strengths of Fleet Optimizer and EMS.
