German eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) developer Lilium has announced that its aircraft has received the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) G-1 Certification Basis necessary for type certificate validation.
This follows the certification basis Lilium was given by its primary airworthiness authority the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2020.
Crucially this means Lilium is the only company in this field holding both an EASA and FAA certification basis for a powered lift eVTOL aircraft.
The news, which was announced on June 26, 2023, supports Lilium’s decision to seek concurrent certification of the Lilium Jet through validation by the FAA under the provisions of the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United States (US).
Since its inception Lilium has focused on ensuring that its design, engineering and business operations align with the safety standards and certification procedures to achieve global acceptance.
“We are the first powered lift eVTOL pioneer in our industry holding a Certification Basis from EASA and the FAA. This is a major step towards our goal of achieving early certification of our aircraft in key markets to support a worldwide entry into service. We are grateful to have found great partners on both sides of the pond to electrify the skies,” Alastair McIntosh, Lilium CTO said. “As per FAA practice, there will now be a collaborative process where Lilium and EASA provide feedback to the FAA before the G-1 is issued for public consultation. We look forward to continued collaboration with the FAA and EASA.”
Lilium expects to begin global operations in 2025, but still may not be the first eVTOL aircraft to gain certification to fly passengers.