Vertical Aerospace plans to conduct the first public electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) demonstration flights at the Farnborough International Airshow, as the company progresses toward aircraft certification and commercial entry into service.
The planned public piloted demonstrations of the full-scale prototype follow the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s recent expansion of Vertical’s Permit to Fly. The approval authorizes the company to conduct its first public demonstration flights away from its Flight Test Centre at Cotswold Airport. Since receiving the approval, Vertical’s test pilots have successfully flown into multiple airports, including RAF Brize Norton, RAF Benson, Blackbushe Airport, and Farnborough Airport, building experience across multiple operating environments. The demonstration flights at Farnborough are subject to approved flight conditions.
Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace, commented, “Vertical arrives at Farnborough with the key building blocks now in place. Over the past year we’ve transformed the business – from launching Valo and achieving piloted transition to strengthening our financial position and expanding our industrial ecosystem. We’ve proven the technology. Our focus now is executing the roadmap to certification, industrialisation and commercial service. Every milestone we deliver reduces risk, strengthens our competitive position and brings us closer to building one of the world’s leading electric aerospace companies.”
Alongside the live flight demonstrations, Vertical will showcase its full-scale commercial model of the Valo aircraft. The electric aviation developer works with global technology partners including Honeywell Aerospace, Aciturri, Evolito, Hyundai WIA, Syensqo, Sonaca, and Isoclima. The company also has approximately 1,500 conditional pre-orders from customers across four continents, including American Airlines, Avolon, Bristow, GOL, and Japan Airlines. Vertical recently announced a strategic partnership with Near Earth Autonomy to integrate advanced autonomous flight capability into Valo, supporting future defense and commercial applications.
Company executives will also participate in industry panels at the airshow focused on Advanced Air Mobility and the steps required to bring electric aviation into commercial service. Simpson will join regulatory and aviation leaders for a discussion on UK leadership in Advanced Air Mobility and the path toward commercial success. He will also participate in the show’s inaugural Finance Summit, where he will join other sector leaders for a panel focused on the current progress and future vision of the eVTOL market.
Looking beyond the airshow, Vertical has outlined several milestones as it progresses toward certification and entry into service. The company expects to complete its Critical Design Review (CDR) by the end of 2026, establishing the certifiable design baseline for its aircraft and enabling the build and testing of certification-conforming aircraft. Vertical also plans to bring its early production aircraft assembly facility online during the third quarter of 2026 and expand the Vertical Energy Centre in the fourth quarter. For its hybrid-electric program, the company plans to select a long-term turbogenerator supplier during 2026 ahead of hybrid-electric flight testing in the first half of 2027.
