DUBAI—Vertical Aerospace plans to reveal its certification eVTOL aircraft design on Dec. 10 in London, the British startup's CEO Stuart Simpson says here at the Dubai Airshow.
This will be the version of the electric aircraft that Vertical plans to concurrently certify with both the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2028.
The design includes a separate pilot space, a luxury cabin seating four passengers and an aft luggage compartment. “We’ll have a minimum payload at launch of 550 kg [1,212 lb.],” Simpson says, adding that within six to 12 months, the design will allow for six passengers plus luggage.
Over the past year, Vertical’s prototype, the VX4, has completed thrust borne VTOL and wingborne CTOL testing and is approaching the critical milestone of transition. “Every single flight we do, I have to sit with the [CAA] regulator” and explain why it should allow Vertical to fly the VX4 in public. “We aren’t out in the desert. We’re not flying under an experimental category. We’re flying with regulatory oversight, and it really sets Vertical apart in this drive toward certification,” Simpson says.
“We will complete the final phase of our prototype flying over the next three to four weeks,” Simpson adds.
Vertical will probably not be the first advanced air mobility company to certify an eVTOL—Joby is ahead—but Simpson says Vertical has key differentiators, which he names as its aircraft, its clear path to certification, its business model and its team.
Vertical recently appointed three seasoned professionals to its board: Andrew Parker, who led the UK’s MI5 security agency; Patrick Ky, formerly head of EASA; and Trevor Woods, formerly EASA’s certification director, “who actually wrote the special condition VTOL standard,” Simpson says.
Vertical has spent $400 million in developing its aircraft, a figure considerably lower than some of its competitors. Simpson says Vertical plans to break even in cash flow in 2029 and generate $100 million in free cash flow in 2030.
Vertical has between $6 billion and $7 billion worth of order commitments, according to its CEO.
