Chair of Leading U.K. Air Taxi Manufacturer Departs

Dómhnal Slattery said Tuesday that he would step back from his role as chairman of the board.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 02:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Vertical Aerospace’s full-scale air taxi prototype transitions from hover to forward flight at Cotswold Airport (EGBP) in the U.K. in April. [Credit: Vertical Aerospace]

Key Takeaways:

Vertical Aerospace's board chairman, Dómhnal Slattery, has departed, with non-executive board member Benjamin Story appointed as interim chair.
Slattery stated that his departure aligns with the company's readiness to transition its Valo eVTOL air taxi through the certification phase.
The company has recently achieved significant milestones, including completing piloted transition flights and securing up to $850 million in financing for certification by 2028, but is also contending with a patent lawsuit.

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Vertical Aerospace, the U.K.’s leading developer of eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxis, is seeking a new leader following the departure of board chairman Dómhnal Slattery on Tuesday.

Slattery in a post on LinkedIn said that although watching Vertical’s inaugural piloted transition flight in April was “one of the proudest moments of my career,” it was the “right moment for me to step back.” He added that the “next chapter belongs to the team taking Valo”—the company’s flagship air taxi, unveiled in December—“through certification.”