Saudi airline Saudia Group will acquire up to 100 eVTOL jets from German aerospace company Lilium – Lilium’s biggest order yet.
The binding sales agreement, signed yesterday at Lilium’s Headquarters near Munich, is for 50 Lilium Jets with the option to purchase 50 more in the future.
It marks what Lilium claims to be the largest commitment in the eVTOL sector by an airline operator and the largest order of its kind in the MENA region.
“Our Lilium Jet is the perfect fit to the Saudi 2030 Vision,” Lilium CEO Klaus Roewe told Zag Daily. “Our Jet supports growing tourism and connectivity with zero CO2 emissions in operations.
“The Middle East region is set for continued growth in aviation, and operators and regulators are showing concrete interest in boosting regional mobility in a sustainable way. That makes MENA a priority region for us.”
Saudia Group expects to receive the first Lilium Jets in 2026 with operations managed by its subsidiary Saudia Private.
Included in the agreement is a schedule of deposit and pre-delivery payments, a timeline of future deliveries as well as guarantees of aircraft performance, provisions on spare parts, maintenance and repairs.
Both Saudia Group and Lilium are also expected to sign a ‘Lilium Power-On’ agreement which relates to aircraft maintenance and support services.
The Lilium Jet, which has capacity for up to six passengers plus luggage, will be used to transport business travellers and attendees of conferences, events, and exhibitions. Saudia Group will also use the jets to serve point-to-point city connections such as Jeddah to Makkah as well as support Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
The purchase agreement brings Lilium’s total orders to roughly 600 aircrafts under MOU, and comes shortly after the company partnered with UrbanV and Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur to bring its jets to the South of France from 2026.
