Airport operator Fraport and Lilium are to explore required infrastructure planning and approval steps for the implementation of commercial eVTOL operations at airports. Fraport is active at 30 international airports across four continents.

They will start by preparing Germany for the introduction of regional electric air mobility by working with industry groups and the German government to jointly discuss and accelerate necessary regulatory work. They plan to analyse future mobility concepts for vertiport networks that are suitable for electric aircraft, and will examine what future vertiport concepts for this type of mobility could look like, especially at and around airports.

CEO Klaus Roewe says: "With Fraport, we have partnered with one of the most renowned international airport operators in the world. We expect to be able to analyse the conditions for regional aviation with electrically powered and quiet jets. Our goal is to jointly advance regulatory and practical steps for suitable framework conditions for electric aviation and our potential customers in Germany and Europe."

Alexander Laukenmann, senior executive vice president aviation, Fraport adds: "In this collaborative endeavour, our focus is on examining the impact of eVTOLs on airport infrastructure. As a cutting-edge and environmentally sustainable prospect for regional aviation, eVTOLs possess the potential to address and develop new models of individual travel and mobility requirements in a sustainable manner in the years to come. Fraport, being Germany's intermodal hub Number One, stands as a global frontrunner in seamlessly connecting diverse transportation modes. Our commitment is to uphold and expand this leadership."

Lilium is already working with other airports across Germany at Stuttgart, Munich, Nuremberg, Cologne-Bonn and Düsseldorf.

In recent years, it has conducted various implementation studies with airports and air traffic control authorities relating to suitable locations, structural implementation and airspace integration procedures, including potential use cases and routes. Based on this work, Lilium will continue to partner and collaborate with other relevant private and public stakeholders to grow the ecosystem and potential network.