Air taxi startup Lilium has staged a successful maiden flight of a five-seater prototype that it hopes to bring into service by 2025 to whisk passengers between cities without the hassle of an airport check-in.

Lilium’s co-founder and CEO Daniel has said the battery-powered aircraft, operated by remote control, took off vertically at a Munich airfield, marking a milestone for the German startup backed by investors including Atomico, Tencent, LGT and Obvious Ventures.