Vertical Aerospace pushes Valo eVTOL certification to 2029 after program re-baseline
Milestone for eVTOL platform slips into 2029 under latest programme re-baselining. Vertical Aerospace has confirmed a fresh schedule slippage for its Valo electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with certification now delayed until 2029. Under previous plans, disclosed in November 2024 , Vertical had pushed the milestone from 2026 until 2028 – itself a delay on the original 2025 goal – although at that point it was still focused on its VX4 aircraft. But revealing the latest shift on 13 July, Vertical said it has "re-baselined its programme plan against the remaining certification workscope, including the build and test of certification-conforming Valo aircraft." Valo – the eVTOL platform Vertical intends to bring to market – was unveiled in December last year . The company expects to complete a critical design review (CDR) for the aircraft by end-2026. "This timeline reflects the rigour of certifying an entirely new class of aircraft under an established regulatory certification framework," Vertical adds, pointing to the continued support of regulators in the UK and Europe. Speaking during an investor call in May, Stuart Simpson, Vertical chief executive, had f lagged the increased schedule risk , citing the later than expected accomplishment of transition flights with the VX4 prototype and continued prudent spending. But highlighting the firm's achievements this year, including performing the first transition flight in April, Simpson says the company is now "increasingly focused on executing against our certification objectives". "We expect to complete [the] CDR by the end of this year, establishing the design baseline for our certification aircraft. Together, successful piloted transition and the upcoming CDR materially advance and de-risk the programme," he says. Vertical is also progressing with standing up its initial manufacturing footprint: its aircraft assembly facility, housed in refurbished hangars at Kemble airfield, should come on line in the third quarter, followed by its battery production site near Bristol in the final three months of the year. Assembly of the Valo test fleet will be undertaken at Kemble. Meanwhile, the likelihood of Vertical flying the VX4 at the forthcoming Farnborough air show has increased, with the Civil Aviation Authority on 10 July expanding the aircraft's permit to fly, authorising its first public demonstration flights away from Kemble. Vertical intends to fly its second VX4 prototype (G-EVTA) at the biennial event. Additionally, Vertical says it has now run a turbogenerator-equipped version of its hybrid powertrain on a test bench. It expects to select its long-term turbogenerator supplier later this year and begin flight testing in the first half of 2027.