Lilium N.V., developer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing jet, announced that it has successfully completed the fourth and final Design Organization Approval (“DOA”) audit by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (“EASA”).
The successful completion of the DOA audit is a key milestone in Lilium’s progress towards becoming an EASA DOA holder, a requirement for aircraft manufacturers, and demonstrates that Lilium has the necessary organization, procedures, competencies, and resources to design and certify aircraft.
EASA grants DOA holders’ special privileges. In particular DOA holders can a) have compliance documents accepted by the Agency without further verification and b) perform activities independently from the Agency.
In collaboration with EASA, Lilium is pursuing a DOA specifically tailored for eVTOL and electric propulsion certification.
“In simple terms, a Design Organisation Approval can be thought of as a ‘licence to operate.’ An aerospace company in Europe can neither hold a Type Certificate, nor undertake or approve design activity without having a DOA,” said Alastair McIntosh, Lilium Chief Technology Officer.
“Successfully completing the fourth and final DOA Audit pays tribute to the calibre of our team and the rigour of our design processes.”