Vertical Aerospace unveils Valo eVTOL aircraft

Vertical Aerospace, a global aerospace and technology company pioneering electric aviation, revealed Valo, its new commercial electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed to enter into service following regulatory approval.

Valo is the aircraft that succeeds Vertical’s VX4 prototype – with a new, more advanced design shaped by extensive insights from the company’s piloted test program and direct feedback from airline and operator customers.

Developed in collaboration with leading aerospace partners, including Honeywell, Syensqo, and Aciturri, Valo introduces a more aerodynamic airframe, an under-floor battery system, redesigned wing and propeller architecture, upgraded materials, and full certifiable redundancy to meet the world’s most rigorous safety standards.

Designed to fly up to 100 miles at speeds up to 150mph with zero operating emissions, Valo is targeting airliner-level safety certification in 2028 ahead of entering service with airline and operator customers. Early commercial routes are expected to include airport-to-city center connections.

Premium cabin and largest luggage capacity

Valo’s premium cabin will launch with four seats, offering panoramic windows, generous personal space, and a cockpit divider for enhanced safety and privacy. The aircraft’s flexible design enables expansion to six seats, with the potential to improve operator economics and lower fares for passengers. Valo’s platform also supports emergency medical services, cargo missions and, in the future, defense, hybrid, and autonomous variants.

Crucially, Valo features the largest cargo hold within its class, developed in response to airliner feedback. With room for six cabin bags and six checked bags, passengers can travel without compromise – a major advantage on airport-to-city services.

From prototype to product

Vertical is now close to completing full piloted transition flight with its full-scale prototype – the defining maneuver of electric aviation in which the aircraft shifts from vertical lift to forward flight. Earlier test phases validated hover, thrust borne, and wing borne performance, generating thousands of data points that directly shaped Valo’s certifiable design.

Vertical will now build seven certification aircraft in the UK to support final testing with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) ahead of targeted Type Certification in 2028. After certification, Valo will enter commercial service.

Stuart Simpson, CEO, Vertical Aerospace, said, “With the launch of Valo, Vertical moves from prototype developer to aerospace manufacturer. Valo is the aircraft that turns electric flight into a commercial reality – clean, quiet, fast, and engineered for everyday service. It marks a new dawn in transport, one that will connect people in minutes, not hours.”

Domhnal Slattery, chair, Vertical Aerospace, said, “Valo embodies the best of Vertical – precision engineering, passenger-first design and deep collaboration with global aerospace partners – creating an aircraft with the most compelling operator economics.” 

A boost for UK aerospace and economy

The introduction of Valo will mark the UK’s return to designing and manufacturing new whole commercial aircraft for the first time in over 30 years and a significant opportunity for the national economy. According to an independent report published by Frontier Economics, Vertical is expected to create over 2,000 high-skilled UK jobs and contribute £3 billion annually to the economy by 2035.

Vertical Aerospace announced plans with Skyports Infrastructure (Skyports) and Bristow Group to launch the UK’s first electric air-taxi routes between Canary Wharf [London] and major transport hubs. Proposed routes to and from Canary Wharf at launch would include Heathrow and Gatwick airports, and university towns Cambridge and Oxford.

Vertical and Héli Air Monaco, the founding helicopter operator in the French Riviera, also announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the pre-order of Vertical’s Valo aircraft for sustainable air mobility along the Côte d’Azur.

Valo – Key target technical specifications

• Range & Speed: Up to 100 miles at up to 150mph, with zero operating emissions and quiet performance (<50 dBA in cruise).
• Battery power: Eight liquid-cooled under-floor battery packs; ~12-minute short-mission recharge; architecture designed to accommodate future battery advances.
• Safety: Designed to meet airliner-level safety standards (UK/EU 10⁻⁹; CAA/EASA, SC-VTOL Category Enhanced), enabling truly global portability.
• Redundancy: Eight electric motors (EPUs), each powered by multiple electrically isolated power lanes to ensure maximum safety.
• Cabin & Payload: Largest cabin in its class; seating for up to six passengers plus observer seat; 550kg/1,200 lb total payload at entry into service; space for six cabin bags and six checked bags; cockpit divider for safety and privacy.