Electric aircraft advance as Vertical Aerospace plans first public eVTOL flight demonstration

British aerospace company Vertical Aerospace is set to conduct the first public electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) demonstration flights at the upcoming Farnborough International Airshow. The event represents another milestone in the company’s journey toward certification and the eventual launch of commercial electric aircraft services. The demonstrations come at a key stage in the company’s development, Vertical Aerospace noted. In recent months, the company has unveiled its Valo aircraft, completed successful piloted transition flights, strengthened its financial position, expanded its global technology partnerships, progressed its hybrid-electric defense strategy, and continued advancing its certification program. Valo eVTOL moves closer to commercial operations Following successful demonstrations of the aircraft’s core capabilities, Vertical Aerospace is now shifting its focus toward the next stage of development, with efforts centered on certification, industrialization and preparing for commercial operations. Alongside public piloted flight demonstrations of its full-scale prototype, the company will also showcase its full-scale commercial Valo aircraft model, offering visitors a closer look at the technology behind its next-generation electric aircraft. According to Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace, the company arrives at Farnborough with the key building blocks for its next phase already in place. He said Vertical has transformed over the past year by launching its Valo aircraft, achieving piloted transition flights, strengthening its financial position and expanding its industrial ecosystem, while continuing to prove the technology. “Every milestone we deliver reduces risk, strengthens our competitive position and brings us closer to building one of the world’s leading electric aerospace companies,” Simpson noted. A major highlight of Vertical Aerospace’s presence at the Farnborough International Airshow will be its planned flight demonstrations, which are set to mark the first public eVTOL aircraft demonstrations at the event. Company targets key certification and production milestones after expanding flight tests The company intends to conduct demonstration flights throughout the show, subject to approved flight conditions. The planned flights follow the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s recent expansion of Vertical’s Permit to Fly, allowing the company to carry out public demonstrations beyond its Flight Test Centre at Cotswold Airport for the first time. Following the expanded flight approval, Vertical’s test pilots have successfully operated the aircraft across multiple locations, including RAF Brize Norton, RAF Benson, Blackbushe Airport and Farnborough Airport. These flights have expanded the company’s test program, providing valuable experience across different operating environments. The company is also targeting several important program milestones that will support the development, production, and commercial rollout of its aircraft. These include completing the Critical Design Review (CDR) by the end of 2026, which will establish the certifiable design baseline for the aircraft and enable the production and testing of certification-conforming models. Furthermore, the UK firm plans to bring its early production aircraft assembly facility online in Q3 2026 and expand the Vertical Energy Centre in Q4 2026 as part of its industrialization efforts. In addition, Vertical expects to select a long-term turbogenerator supplier during 2026, ahead of beginning hybrid-electric flight testing in the first half of 2027. Recommended ArticlesGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Bojan Stojkovski is a freelance journalist based in Skopje, North Macedonia, covering foreign policy and technology for more than a decade. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, ZDNet, and Nature.