U.K. Air Taxi Leader Delays Certification to 2029

Vertical Aerospace says updated timeline ‘reflects the rigour of certifying an entirely new class of aircraft.’

Jack Daleo

Monday, July 13, 2026 at 01:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Vertical Aerospace’s third and final VX4 air taxi prototype lifts off on its first flight on June 5, 2026. [Credit: Vertical Aerospace]

Key Takeaways:

Vertical Aerospace has delayed the certification of its Valo eVTOL air taxi by one year, pushing the earliest delivery date for carriers like American Airlines to 2029 due to the rigorous requirements for certifying an entirely new class of aircraft.
The company aims for concurrent certification from both European (EASA's stringent SC-VTOL Enhanced standard) and U.S. regulators, acknowledging the complexity of meeting these safety benchmarks.
Despite past setbacks like a prototype crash and lagging behind some U.S. competitors in flight testing, Vertical has recently secured substantial financing, achieved its first piloted transition flight, and gained expanded flight testing privileges, while also exploring a hybrid-electric variant for potential earlier market entry.

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American Airlines and other carriers who placed conditional orders for U.K. manufacturer Vertical Aerospace’s Valo, an eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxi, will not receive the aircraft until 2029 at the earliest.

Vertical—considered the U.K.’s leading air taxi developer by virtue of being one of the only firms conducting routine flight testing—said Monday in a business update that it “re-baselined” its certification program, through which it seeks concurrent Valo type certification from European and American regulators. The new timeline puts certification in 2029, a one-year slip from the 2028 target the company announced in late 2024.