Vertical Aerospace will conduct the first public electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) demonstrations at the Farnborough International Airshow, running 20–24 July 2026, following an expansion of its UK Permit to Fly. The flights mark a milestone on the Bristol firm’s route to certification and commercial service for Valo, its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority expanded Vertical’s Permit to Fly earlier this year, authorising demonstrations beyond the Flight Test Centre at Cotswold Airport. Since then, Valo has flown into RAF Brize Norton, RAF Benson, Blackbushe Airport and Farnborough Airport during test operations, extending the programme across multiple operating environments.

Vertical holds approximately 1,500 conditional pre-orders for Valo from customers across four continents, including American Airlines, Avolon, Bristow, GOL and Japan Airlines. The Farnborough appearance follows piloted transition flights completed over the past year and coincides with a new partnership with Near Earth Autonomy to integrate autonomous flight capability into the aircraft.

Vertical targets completion of its critical design review by end 2026, with an early production assembly facility coming online in Q3 2026 and the Vertical Energy Centre expanding in Q4. Hybrid-electric flight testing is planned for the first half of 2027. For an eVTOL sector still working to convert conditional orders into certified aircraft, public demonstration at a major airshow carries weight beyond publicity; it builds the regulatory and commercial credibility that certification depends on.

Source: Vertical