A visitor inspects Saudia Airlines’ electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) Lilium jet on display during the Global Logistics Forum in Riyadh on October 14, 2024. Photo courtesy: AFP
Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier is turning to a cash-strapped German company for new luxury resorts and electric jets to service routes to the holy city of Mecca, an official said.
Razan Shaker, manager of communications affairs for Saudia Airlines, said Munich-based Lilium’s aircraft would provide direct links to difficult-to-access routes on the Red Sea coast and transport Muslim pilgrims directly from Jeddah to Mecca, where there is no airport. Is.
“Our strategy is that this will help bridge places and cities that do not have airports or are difficult to get to,” he said on the sidelines of a logistics forum in Riyadh. Plans include taking pilgrims to the iconic Fairmont Mecca Clock Royal Tower hotel near the Grand Mosque of Mecca, where “we are working on building a helipad”, he said. In July Saudia announced it was purchasing 50 Lilium electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jets, with options to buy 50 more.
The airline is expected to begin taking delivery of the Lilium jets in 2026, which seat four to six passengers and fly up to 175 kilometers. A statement said Saudia’s order was “the largest reported firm order of eVTOL aircraft by an airline”. In those days.
Neither Saudia nor Lilium have disclosed the value of the deal, but Daniel Wiegand, Lilium’s chief engineer of innovation, said the plane typically sells for between $7 million and $9 million.
published – October 15, 2024 10:21 am IST