IllustrationDelayed
- Price / deposit
- Not sold to consumers
- Certification, as written on the tracker
- UK CAA Design Organisation Approval; type certification now expected in 2029 (was 2028)
- Delivery / launch
- Critical Design Review targeted by end of 2026
- Tracker updated
Certificates
A special or experimental airworthiness certificate, a production approval and an operator certificate are not type certificates. Standing is taken from the linked source.
| Vehicle | Document | Standing | Date | What the source says | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type certificate |
Target, not issued |
On July 13, 2026 Vertical said it now expects type certification of Valo in 2029, after previously targeting 2028. Vertical said the path runs under the UK CAA and EASA. The 2029 date is a target. No type certificate has been issued. |
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Permit to fly (not a type certificate) |
Issued |
Vertical said the UK CAA expanded its permit to fly on July 10, 2026, allowing the first public demonstration flights away from Cotswold Airport. A permit to fly is not a type certificate. |
Orders and other deals
| Date | Kind | Parties | Amount | What the source says | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pre-order Conditional |
Vertical Aerospace Vertical Aerospace Valo (formerly VX4)Named by Vertical: American Airlines, Avolon, Bristow, GOL and Japan Airlines, among others |
About 1,500 aircraft; Vertical estimates the pre-order value at about $6 billion |
Vertical said on July 13, 2026 that it had about 1,500 conditional pre-orders for Valo, which it valued at about $6 billion, across four continents. Vertical said some customer obligations are expected to be fulfilled through third parties. Conditional pre-orders are not firm orders. No type certificate has been issued. |
Milestones
| Date | Vehicle | Kind | Event | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Slipped date |
Type-certification target moves from 2028 to 2029Vertical said it now expects type certification in 2029. It said it had previously indicated rising risk to a 2028 target. The new year is still a target, not an issued certificate. |
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Certification step |
Expanded UK CAA permit to flyVertical said the CAA expanded the permit to fly, authorising the first public demonstration flights away from Cotswold Airport. A permit to fly is not a type certificate. |
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Piloted flight |
Piloted transition flightsVertical said that in April 2026 it achieved two-way piloted transition flight, and that it was the first to do so under UK CAA design-organisation oversight. "First" is the company's claim. Vertical said the flights were on the prototype programme behind Valo. |
Slipped timeline
- Type certification in 2028 Type certification expected in 2029 Vertical 6-K (SEC)