Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Aerospace
  • /
  • Vertical Aerospace and Honeywell unveil flying taxi design

Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace and Honeywell unveil flying taxi design

In a major boon for British aviation, Vertical Aerospace, the Bristol-based company pioneering affordable electric aviation, today announces plans for a revolutionary ‘flying taxi’, the VA-1X.


Image Courtesy: Vertical Aerospace

Capable of carrying up to five people (four passengers and a pilot), the VA-1X is set to be the world’s first certified winged all-electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and is on course to start commercial flights in 2024. Build will begin shortly, with manufacturing taking place in the UK.

Advertisement
ODU RT

VA-1X will boast cruise speeds of 150 mph with a useable range of up to 100 miles, meaning passengers could travel from London to Brighton in approximately half an hour, compared to two hours driving, or an hour by train. The aircraft will bypass road congestion, and will be certified to the same safety standards as commercial airlines. Its eVTOL technology ensures the VA-1X will be completely emission-free.

Vertical Aerospace’s ultimate aim is to make the VA-1X significantly cheaper than helicopter flights, removing one of the major barriers to environmentally friendly air travel. Prices for air taxi services are initially expected to be between a helicopter flight and a private car, and will decrease as adoption grows.

World-class companies are participating in the initiative. These include Honeywell, which is supplying flight controls and control laws, and has signed a letter of intent to provide a vehicle management system for the prototype.

Additional features will include:

● Reduced noise pollution - 30x quieter than a helicopter thanks to the VA-1X’s distributed propulsion system

● 15-meter wingspan, 13 meters in length, ensuring it can take off and land from existing helipads

● Fly-by-wire flight control systems to make aircraft simple to fly, while its simple design optimises safety

● Efficient aerodynamics, enabling it to fly with far less energy and power than a helicopter

Advertisement
Gulfstream RT

● Payload capacity of 450kg

● EASA-certified design

● Powered by Lithium-ion batteries

As demand for sustainable travel surges, eVTOL technology has gained rapid momentum, with the autonomous aircraft market predicted to reach $1.5 trillion by 2040 according to findings from Morgan Stanley Research. Since its creation in 2016 by OVO Founder, Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical Aerospace has quickly established itself as a leader in eVTOL technology. It is one of only seven companies in the world to have successfully flown multiple full-scale eVTOL prototypes, undertaking two trials with UK Civil Aviation Authority approval, and is the first company to introduce F1 technology to eVTOL aircraft.

The combination of F1’s pace and agility with aerospace rigour and discipline is central to the company’s vision, with Vertical Aerospace establishing bases in Bristol, one of the top three aerospace hubs in the world, and in the F1 cluster in Oxfordshire.

“eVTOL technology will revolutionise travel, combining the safety of commercial airlines with the disruptive environmental and cost benefits of the electrification of flight” said Michael Cervenka, CEO, Vertical Aerospace. “With the launch of the VA-1X, we’re proud to be taking eVTOL one step closer to mass-market adoption, and supporting the next era of aviation. At Vertical Aerospace we believe that people should be able to quickly and affordably get from A to B without sacrificing the planet - with the VA-1X, this vision will start to be realised in under five years.”

“We are proud to be contributing to Vertical Aerospace’s aircraft. The VA-1X is a beautiful vehicle and an important technical milestone for the urban air mobility industry,” said Stephane Fymat, Honeywell’s vice president and general manager of urban air mobility and unmanned aerial systems. "Honeywell is honored to be working with Vertical to enable this major advancement with our compact fly-by-wire and UAM-optimized flight deck technologies."

Advertisement
General Atomics LB
Manchester Airport has busiest ever June

Aerospace

Manchester Airport has busiest ever June

11 July 2025

More than three million passengers travelled through Manchester Airport last month – the first time the UK’s global gateway in the North has passed that mark in June.

Lane Electronics to showcase defence connectivity at MSPO

Aerospace Defence Events

Lane Electronics to showcase defence connectivity at MSPO

11 July 2025

Lane Electronics, a franchised distributor for many of the industry’s major electrical, electronic and optical connector manufacturers, will be Exhibiting at MSPO 2025 (2nd–5th September 2025, Kielce, Poland), where they will be displaying the latest connector innovations and demonstrating their UK based assembling and value add services.

LK Metrology acquires ProCon X-Ray

Aerospace

LK Metrology acquires ProCon X-Ray

11 July 2025

Best known as a manufacturer and global supplier of coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and more recently laser scanning sensors, Castle Donington based LK Metrology Ltd has acquired ProCon X-Ray GmbH, a specialist German manufacturer of computed tomography (CT) systems.

Titan Airways adds first Embraer E190LR to its fleet

Aerospace

Titan Airways adds first Embraer E190LR to its fleet

11 July 2025

Stansted based European charter airline, Titan Airways, has announced that it had completed the purchase of its first Embraer E190LR regional jet.

Advertisement
Teledyne
Flitetec secures two distribution agreements

Aerospace Defence Events

Flitetec secures two distribution agreements

11 July 2025

Amersham based aerospace business Flitetec, has confirmed two major deals that it shook on at the recent Paris Air Show.

IFS appoints Kriti Sharma as CEO of Nexus Black

Aerospace Security

IFS appoints Kriti Sharma as CEO of Nexus Black

11 July 2025

IFS has appointed Kriti Sharma as CEO of IFS Nexus Black. This strategic move reinforces IFS’s commitment to industrial AI and fast-tracks the development of agentic AI systems designed for the asset- and service-intensive industries it serves.

Advertisement
ODU RT