Vertical on Monday also provided the first glimpse of its planned New York air taxi routes, which it will develop with partners Bristow Group and Skyports.<\/p>\n
Per a map the company shared, Skyports\u2019 Downtown Skyport location\u2014operated jointly with Groupe ADP since April after the partners acquired, renamed, and began electrifying the Downtown Manhattan Heliport\u2014will be the network\u2019s hub. Planned connections include John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK) and East Hampton Airport (KJPX) on Long Island, as well as Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) and Teterboro Airport (KTEB) in New Jersey.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew York is a natural next step to explore how electric aviation could support urban and regional travel in the U.S., working with partners like Bristow and Skyports to keep safety, certification and real-world operations at the core,\u201d said Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical, in a statement.<\/p>\n
Valo Lands in the U.S.<\/p>\n
On Friday, members of the public and Vertical investors, customers, and partners will get a first opportunity to see the company\u2019s full-scale aircraft in person. The display will include a charging point, replica cockpit, functioning cabin space, and luggage hold, though it will lack real batteries or electronics, a Vertical spokesperson told FLYING.<\/p>\n
Per Vertical, Valo will have an all-electric range of about 100 miles, cruise speed of about 150 mph, and service altitude of about 2,000 feet. It will launch with four seats but could later be expanded to six. Billed as an improvement on the firm\u2019s VX4 prototype<\/a>, the model will be \u201cbigger, safer and more capable than anything in the sector,\u201d Domhnal Slattery, Vertical\u2019s chairman, said in December.<\/p>\n Among the upgrades are improved aerodynamics and materials and redesigned wing and propellers. A \u201cmore aerodynamic\u201d airframe, for example, will be produced by Aciturri with materials from Syensqo. Other third-party components and systems include a carbon composite fuselage from Leonardo and Honeywell\u2019s Anthem flight deck<\/a> and digital fly-by-wire system.<\/p>\n Propulsion will come from an under-floor battery system comprising eight liquid-cooled packs, each powering a carbon-fiber composite tilt propeller. The battery and propeller systems, which are proprietary, will generate less than 50 dBA of noise during cruise\u2014akin to the volume of a washing machine, Simpson told BBC Today<\/a> in December.<\/p>\n Valo\u2019s interior will feature panoramic windows, a cockpit divider, and \u201cclass-leading luggage capacity,\u201d with capacity for up to 1,200 pounds and space for six cabin bags and six checked bags. Per Simpson, those premium features will come at an affordable price\u2014about the same cost per seat per kilometer as a cab.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bit like an iPhone,\u201d he told BBC Today. \u201cWhen this launches, it\u2019ll be a premium product for the first couple of years just to prove out the routes, prove out the infrastructure. But we\u2019ve already modeled this out on over 1,200 routes with customers.\u201d<\/p>\n Vertical says it has about 1,500 customer preorders for Valo. Among them is Bristow, which has an agreement for up to 50 aircraft and 50 options. Using its U.K. air operator certification, the company plans to offer the aircraft as part of a suite that also includes pilots, maintenance, and insurance.<\/p>\n Working with Skyports, Bristow intends to operate Valo out of Skyports London Heliport in Canary Wharf in 2029, once the aircraft is certified. The partners will offer 12-minute trips to London Heathrow Airport (EGLL), London Gatwick Airport (EGKK), Cambridge City Airport (EGTK), and Skyports\u2019 Bicester location in Oxford. The Bicester site is expected to host VX4 demonstrations early this year in support of a potential route between Oxford and Cambridge.<\/p>\n Bristow is further exploring eVTOL aircraft from Beta Technologies, Electra, Embraer\u2019s Eve Air Mobility, and cargo drone developer Elroy Air.<\/p>\n \u201cBristow operates complex aviation services all over the world, from offshore energy to government and passenger transport,\u201d said Chris Bradshaw, president and CEO of Bristow. \u201cExploring future eVTOL use cases in a market like New York allows us to apply that operational experience to new, sustainable aviation concepts as the technology and regulatory environment continue to mature.\u201d<\/p>\n Other Valo customers include American Airlines, Japan Air Lines, and H\u00e9li Air Monaco, announced in December.<\/p>\n Future Air Taxi Network<\/p>\n Vertical\u2019s planned New York City-area network centers around the Downtown Skyport.<\/p>\n
![\"Vertical](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Image20260121072209.jpg\")
Vertical shared a map of potential electric air taxi routes linking the Downtown Skyport to airports in Long Island and New Jersey. [Credit: Vertical Aerospace]<\/p>\n