Airplane news; Lilium and Livent Partner for batteries, Virtual ATC? Jet Blue/Spirit Saga Continues

This week in airplane news, Lilium has partnered with Livent for battery tech, craig field will get a virtual ATC system, and Jetblue continues to try to purchase Spirit Airlines. Lilium, an eVTOL manufacturer has announced an R&D partnership with Livent corporation. This partnership is to create high-performance lithium battery cells, specifically for aviation Lilium announced several other partnerships, including one with Honeywell. Lilium says its 6-passenger eVTOL is aiming for speeds of up to 162 mph and a range of 270NM. https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/evtols-urban-mobility/lilium-livent-partner-on-lithium-battery-research Selma Alabama’s Craig Field will be getting a remote ATC tower This project will be lead by Advanced ATC and Indra Corp The operation is the first of its kind and will allow controllers to ““perform all the functions of a traditional control tower from a different location through the extensive use of cameras, real-time video and other advances.” “Remote towers represent an important and innovative step in airspace modernization efforts in the U.S., and I’m excited to see Advanced ATC establish its pioneering operation at Craig Field,” said Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce Greg Canfield. “This virtual tower center represents another example of how our state is at the leading edge of trends shaping the future of aviation and aerospace for the U.S.” https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/craig-field-to-get-u-s-s-first-remote-tower-atc-center Jet Blue has offered 350 million in reverse break-up fees if a merger between Spirit and Jet Blue fails This is over 100 million more than Frontier has offered Robin Hayes, Chief Executive Officer of JetBlue said “Combining JetBlue and Spirit would create a true national competitor to the dominant legacy carriers, delivering low fares and a great experience for more customers, more opportunities and good paying jobs for crew members, and more value for stockholders. The key features of our Improved Proposal – the up-front cash payment and increased reverse break-up fee – reflect the seriousness of our commitment and underscore our confidence in completing this transaction.” It’s interesting to see the saga between these three carriers continue and we’ll keep you up to date on what happens next! https://simpleflying.com/jetblue-enhanced-spirit-breakup-offer/