First flight passed: The five-seat electric air taxi Lilium Jet has successfully started in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich. The one and a half ton prototype had risen vertically and hovered on the spot, said Lilium co-founder Daniel Wiegand the German Press Agency. Next, "we will fly maneuvers and move forward." By 2025, the taxis will fly in at least two cities in commercial life.

The plane with 36 electric jet engines in the wings is quiet and "will be able to fly at 300 kilometers an hour for an hour," said Wiegand. "The Lilium plane tends to be cheaper than a helicopter because there is almost no mechanics in it and it consumes only a tenth of the energy."

Lilium

Lilium Jet in flight - in a simulation of the manufacturer

The aircraft manufacturer founded in 2015 wants to operate all machines themselves, with its own booking platform. "I exclude that we sell the plane to wealthy private individuals or companies, and the goal is for many citizens to book flights with us, for prices like a taxi," said Wiegand. The quiet whiz-starters could earn their money in agglomerations, but also in rural areas without infrastructure.

The aircraft manufacturer Airbus had first brought its four-seat electric city Airbus with four rotors in Donauwörth on 1 May in the air. He is said to fly 50 miles with 120 kilometers per hour. The Karlsruhe-based start-up Volocopter has even since 2016, the German traffic license for a two-seater electric plane taxi and 2017 flown in Dubai in the test autonomous. The Airbus competitor Boeing had made in January in the US a first test flight with an autonomous air taxi.

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The Boeing and Lilium e-air taxis give the wings more lift and more range. In contrast, e-air taxis with rotor need less landing area.

The five-seat Lilium Jet, which is based on a two-seat test model, will be remotely controlled during the test flights. In operation, the air taxi from 2025 to be flown first by a pilot, "that simplifies the licenses and approvals," said company boss Wiegand. "In ten years maybe it should be able to fly autonomously."

Lilium sits at the airfield Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich and today employs about 300 people.