German electric aircraft startup Vaeridion has taken over a specialised building at Oberpfaffenhofen Airport previously used by insolvent rival Lilium, raising questions about the future of Lilium’s planned takeover by investment group AAMG.
The facility, which was built for battery production and includes a fireproof room and acoustic testing halls, was leased to Vaeridion in recent days, according to German business publication Wirtschaftswoche. The startup has also been given clearance to buy equipment from the site, including laser welding technology. “We have already received confirmation from Lilium’s insolvency administrator that we can purchase the technology belonging to the building,” Vaeridion founder and CEO Ivor van Dartel told the magazine.
Vaeridion, which is developing a nine-passenger electric aircraft designed for conventional runways, has hired 11 former Lilium engineers and plans to expand its team further. The company raised €14 million in December to fund the development of its aircraft, which is expected to have a 400-kilometre range plus an emergency reserve.
The deal complicates Lilium’s ongoing talks with AAMG, whose proposed takeover has yet to be approved by insolvency administrator Ivo-Meinert Willrodt. AAMG has no track record in aviation, but its chief executive Robert Kamp has said: “I have no experience in aviation, but I know how to do business.”
AAMG has pledged to maintain around 300 employees in Bavaria to advance research and development, while producing the first 50 aircraft locally before shifting series production to Japan. The administrator, however, has expressed caution to avoid a repeat of Lilium’s earlier failed takeover attempt by a different consortium.