Vertical Aerospace opens new eVTOL manufacturing centre in the UK

Vertical Aerospace has opened a new 60,000-square-foot Valo eVTOL manufacturing centre at its Cotswold Airport campus in England. The £1.5 million investment nearly doubles the company’s existing facility size to 130,000 square feet.

The new centre will be used to assemble certification-conforming Valo aircraft and a hybrid-electric demonstrator intended to extend flight range and support potential military applications. The company aims to begin assembly of the first certification-conforming aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2027, working toward Type Certification from the UK Civil Aviation Authority in 2029.

During the early production phase, the facility is expected to have the capacity to assemble more than 25 Valo aircraft annually. For higher-volume manufacturing, Vertical Aerospace plans to announce a separate, full-scale production facility by the fourth quarter of 2026. The company is also targeting 2030 for the integration of commercial Valo eVTOL flights into the London Heathrow air traffic management system.