U.K. Air Taxi Leader Vertical Aerospace Secures $800M Funding Package

Company believes the financing will be enough to get it through certification, targeted for 2028.

Jack Daleo

Monday, April 20, 2026 at 12:52 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Funding will support certification of Vertical’s flagship Valo air taxi, for which routes have been announced in South Florida and New York. [Credit: Vertical Aerospace]

Key Takeaways:

Vertical Aerospace secured a funding package totaling up to $800 million, bringing its total to $850 million, which it believes is sufficient to certify its Valo eVTOL aircraft by 2028.
Despite having less overall capital than its American rivals, Vertical Aerospace is positioned as a strong competitor due to its significantly lower operational burn rate.
The Valo aircraft is designed to offer superior passenger capacity and payload compared to U.S. counterparts, with Vertical Aerospace targeting the U.S. market as a key region for deployment.

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American eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxi developers such as Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, and Boeing’s Wisk Aero face a legitimate competitor from across the Atlantic.

U.K. air taxi leader Vertical Aerospace—which last week entered rarefied air by achieving a crucial flight test milestone—said Monday that it finalized a funding package totaling up to $800 million. The company said the money will be enough to complete testing and certification for its flagship Valo aircraft by 2028.