German airports group Fraport has started working with Lilium to prepare ground infrastructure for eVTOL aircraft. The company operates Frankfurt Airport and 30 other international airports across four continents.

Announcing their partnership on January 10, Munich-based Lilium and Fraport said they will jointly focus on “exploration studies on infrastructure” and a regulatory action plan for Germany and other European Union countries. The companies have committed to engaging with industry groups and the German government to accelerate regulatory work, with requirements and safety standards for vertiports and other infrastructure still needing to be fully established.

According to Lilium, which seeks to bring its six-passenger Lilium Jet eVTOL vehicle into commercial service in 2026, Fraport will help it to define vertiport concepts, “especially at and around airports.” The partners have not confirmed whether they will jointly develop and invest in infrastructure, but Lilium indicated its work with Fraport will complement partnerships it has with airports in Stuttgart, Munich, Nuremberg, Cologne-Bonn, and Düsseldorf.

“In this collaborative endeavor, our focus is on examining the impact of eVTOLs on airport infrastructure,” said Alexander Laukenmann, Fraport’s senior executive vice president for aviation. “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.”

The alliance with Fraport will build on studies Lilium has conducted with airports and air traffic control authorities to assess the feasibility of integrating eVTOL aircraft into regional air transport networks. The studies have focused on potential uses and routes, and challenges such as airspace integration. The Lilium Jet, which has 30 ducted fan electric engines in its wing and canard, is expected to operate on routes of up to 175 kilometers (109 miles) at speeds of 250 km/h.

In 2021, Lilium announced an infrastructure development partnership with Ferrovial, an airports, highways, and rail group. This focused on plans for a network of vertiports across Florida, which the manufacturer views as a potential early market for eVTOL air services. It is not clear whether Lilium is still working with Ferrovial Vertiports, which has since announced partnerships with rival aircraft developers, including Eve Air Mobility.

On January 9, Lilium reported that it had integrated the wing for its first full-scale Lilium Jet prototype with the fuselage. At its headquarters near Munich, the company is preparing to start flight testing the six-passenger model during 2024 as it works toward type certification in time for commercial operations to begin in 2026. The company says it will use seven of the aircraft, featuring 30 ducted fan electric engines installed in the wing and canard, to complete flight testing.