Lilium eVTOL noise profile in ‘another dimension’
The Lilium Jet, an all-electric vertical take-off and landing jet, is so quiet in the air it has been described by CEO Klaus Roewe as in “another dimension”.
Roewe spoke to Aerospace Global News from the Farnborough International Airshow, where his company unveiled a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to develop and implement the required regulations for eVTOL operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia beginning in 2026.
The partnership will start by setting up a joint Working Group preparing the regulations in Saudi Arabia for the introduction of regional electric air mobility. Dedicated sub-working groups for infrastructure, air operations, airworthiness, and airspace integration, led by GACA and strongly supported by Lilium, are to jointly discuss, accelerate, develop, and implement the necessary regulatory and procedural framework.
Commenting on the Lilium Jet which has attracted much praise from its Saudi partners, Roewe said: “I was super excited when I joined two years ago. I couldn’t believe how silent it was. But this one is another dimension, another league. Everyone is eager to see it fly and to hear it fly because you can almost not hear it.”
Roewe added: “This balance between keeping the momentum of a startup company but make it a real professional aerospace company is the biggest challenge we are facing.”
Saudi Arabia has recognised the enormous growth potential of eVTOL and intends to take a decisive step towards the introduction of the new modes of transport into existing traffic and airspace structures by 2026 with the published Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Roadmap.
Lilium has already been in close contact with GACA in recent years and has supported the development of the regulatory framework and procedures needed to safely operate eVTOL in Saudi Arabia.
Lilium has a wide knowledge of the regulatory development, processes, and relevant legislation based on the participation in different ICAO Working Groups (such as ICAO AAM SG and ICAO VFIWG), EASA Working Groups (such as RMT.230 including the active and driving participation and contribution to EASA PTS-VPT-DSN and EASA Part-IAM), EUROCAE Working Groups, discussions with the FAA and ANAC, and different similar national approaches in Europe.
Given this background, Lilium will support and collaborate with GACA in the joint dedicated Working Group for Saudi Arabia.
