Electric aircraft manufacturer and regional air mobility company Lilium has announced that its principal German subsidiaries will apply for self-administration proceedings in the next few days with the competent court in Germany. This follows a lengthy and complex government approval process for a loan from investment and development bank KfW, which failed in the Budget Committee of the German parliament.

Lilium's international competition is receiving grants and loans in the US, France, China, Brazil and the UK. Therefore, German government support was seen by Lilium investors as critical to retain market confidence and potential future investment.

“Our plan was to obtain shareholder investment in a new funding round anchored by a German government backed loan of EUR 100 million,” Lilium CEO Klaus Roewe says. “We had already conditionally secured additional private capital to complement the KfW loan. However, the Budget Committee was unable to agree on the loan and Bavaria couldn't do it alone.”

German government support of the KfW loan was a closing condition to already committed private funding, and without this support Lilium was left with no alternative but to cause the principal German subsidiaries to file for self-administration.

Lilium was also in advanced discussions regarding a French government guarantee of a EUR 219 million loan to finance a battery factory and an assembly line in the southwest of France. Following the Lilium Jet's planned first flight in early 2025, Lilium anticipated receiving pre-delivery payments and new investment to finance the company into 2026 when the company expected delivery would begin on its current order pipeline consisting of firm orders, reservations, options and memoranda of understanding for more than 780 Lilium Jets to operators in the US, South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Supporting the insolvency proceedings is now the top priority for Lilium. Customers, employees and suppliers will be notified by the company as soon as possible.

Self-administration, if and when granted by the court, aims to preserve and continue the business that is the subject of the proceedings. Management would retain control and would continue operating the business under the supervision of a custodian. The procedure is often used to initiate investment by new parties or a process to sell the company's assets and/or business as a whole. In Germany, the procedure is generally perceived as providing an improved chance for a successful in-court business restructuring.

“We deeply regret the insolvency and its consequences for all stakeholders at such a crucial stage of our company's development,” Roewe goes on. “However, while there is no guarantee for success in insolvency proceedings, we hope that the Lilium Jet will get a chance for a fresh start after the self-administration process is completed.

“We strongly believe that electric flying is our best hope for the decarbonisation of aviation.”

Directly impacted by the filing are Lilium and Lilium eAircraft. Plans for affected stakeholders and the operational implementation of the necessary measures will be shared in the coming days after the filing and related procedures have been launched.