After hiring former Airbus SE executives to lead their competing bids to bring the craft to market, two German aerospace start-ups leading a global rush into electric-powered flying taxis face a reality check.
Lilium CEO Klaus Roewe, who joined the company last month and previously led the Airbus narrow-body jet programme, has ordered a rethink of the company’s public relations strategy as its stock falls. Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter since April and former head of Airbus’ defence division, said in an interview that the company’s global ambitions have been scaled back in order to set a more modest target for its first commercial flights. “We need to demonstrate that we’re a very serious company, and we need to communicate better about what we’re doing,” said Roewe, who spent 29 years at Airbus.
