the essential
Presented as the future of urban mobility, air taxis are having great difficulty getting off the ground, and this is particularly true on the other side of the Rhine. However, Germany was at the forefront in Europe in this area.
Two German start-ups, Volocopter and Lilium, have been developing small, 100% electric devices capable of transporting between one and six passengers over short distances for more than ten years. After numerous test flights, their certification was even announced in the coming months… But recently, the projects have come to a complete halt due to lack of funding.
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Paris 2024 Olympics: failure for the “flying taxis”, which will ultimately not take off in the Parisian sky
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On December 30, Volocopter indeed indicated in a press release that it had filed for bankruptcy four days earlier… “A request to open insolvency proceedings [a été déposé] with the local court in Karlsruhe.” This is a hard blow for the company created in 2011. It intended to market its vertical take-off and landing multirotor in 2025. If it does not find buyers or new investors quickly, its machine could never come into service, and its 500 employees could be laid off.
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“The company needs financing to take the final steps […]. By the end of February, we will endeavor to develop a restructuring concept and implement it together with the investors,” explains Tobias Wahl, the receiver appointed in this procedure. Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter, still wants to believe in it. “We are ahead of our competitors in terms of technological progress, flight testing and certification. This makes us an attractive company to invest in.”
Lily
Saved at the last minute
For Lilium, the other German start-up, the future is becoming clearer. After filing for bankruptcy last October, then announcing the cessation of its activities on December 20, a takeover agreement has just been concluded with a consortium of investors from Europe and North America. The German start-up thus avoids liquidation. “The conclusion of the agreement at the beginning of January will allow us to restart our activity” welcomed Klaus Roewe, the boss of Lilium.
Its 950 employees, laid off just before Christmas, should be rehired within a few days. The Lilium Jet could therefore arrive on the market, as planned, this year, provided, however, that it obtains certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Swiss
