Announcement • Jul 17
Vertical Aerospace Conducts Public Demonstration Flights of Valo Aircraft At Farnborough International Airshow
Vertical Aerospace planned to conduct the first public electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) demonstration flights to take place at the Farnborough International Airshow (20-24 July 2026), marking another significant milestone as the company advances towards certification and commercial service. Over the past year, the company launched its commercial aircraft, Valo, completed successful piloted transition flights, strengthened its balance sheet, expanded its global technology ecosystem, advanced its hybrid-electric defence strategy and continued to execute against its certification programme. Having demonstrated the aircraft's core capabilities, Vertical is now focused on the next phase of its strategy – executing towards certification, industrialisation and commercialisation. As well as public piloted flight demonstrations of its full-scale prototype, Vertical will also display its full-scale commercial model of Valo. Vertical intends to conduct public demonstration flights throughout the show - the first by an eVTOL aircraft at Farnborough International Airshow – subject to approved flight conditions. The planned demonstration flights follow the UK Civil Aviation Authority's recent expansion of Vertical's Permit to Fly, authorising 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, broadening its flight test programme and building experience across multiple operating environments as it progresses towards certification and commercial service. Visitors can explore the full-scale commercial model of Valo in Hall 4 and meet the team developing one of the world's most advanced electric aircraft. Valo is built on the successes of Vertical’s full-scale prototype which is flying at the airshow. Vertical arrives at Farnborough with one of the industry's strongest aerospace technology ecosystems, working alongside global 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 also announced a strategic partnership with Near Earth Autonomy to integrate advanced autonomous flight capability into Valo, supporting future defence and commercial applications. As Vertical advances towards certification and entry into service, the Company expects to achieve several important programme milestones: Critical Design Review (CDR): Expects to complete by the end of 2026, establishing the certifiable design baseline for its aircraft and enabling the build and test of certification-conforming aircraft. Industrialisation: Bringing the early production aircraft assembly facility online during Third Quarter 2026 and expanding the Vertical Energy Centre in Fourth Quarter 2026. Hybrid-electric programme: Selecting a long-term turbogenerator supplier during 2026 ahead of hybrid-electric flight testing in the first half of 2027. Valo is a piloted, four-passenger, Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with zero operating emissions. Vertical is also developing a hybrid-electric variant, offering increased range and mission flexibility to meet the evolving needs of the advanced air mobility market. Vertical combines partnerships with leading aerospace companies, including Honeywell, Syensqo and Sonaca, with its own proprietary battery and propeller technology to develop the world's most advanced and safest eVTOL. Vertical has c.1,500 pre-orders of Valo, with customers across four continents, including American Airlines, Avolon, Bristow, GOL and Japan Airlines. Certain customer obligations are expected to be fulfilled via third-party agreements.
