Saudi Arabian airline operator Saudia Group has signed a binding gross sales settlement to buy 50 Lilium Jets from German electrical plane producer Lilium, and has an choice to buy 50 extra.
The gross sales settlement follows a memorandum of understanding the 2 firms signed in October 2022. The settlement features a schedule of deposit and pre-delivery funds, a timeline of future deliveries, ensures on plane efficiency, and provisions on spare elements, upkeep and repairs. The businesses additionally intend to signal a Lilium POWER ON settlement for plane fleet upkeep and assist companies.
The jets will present first- and last-leg connections into Saudia’s regional hubs and new point-to-point metropolis connections, comparable to Jeddah to Makkah, which may scale back regional journey occasions by as much as 90%. Saudia expects to obtain the primary jets in 2026. They’ll function giant, premium cabins with capability for as much as six passengers plus baggage.
Saudia will assist Lilium in its certification course of with the Basic Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Saudi Arabia’s aviation regulatory company.
Lilium has a pipeline of 106 agency orders and reservations, 76 choices, and roughly 600 plane below MOU.
“The Center East is a precedence for Lilium, and Saudi Arabia can be a really giant and thrilling marketplace for electrical, high-speed regional air mobility. Our partnership will mix Saudia Group’s important market information with our distinctive eVTOL expertise to remodel premium air journey within the GCC area,” stated Klaus Roewe, CEO of Lilium.
Supply: Lilium