Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. will carry out test flights using a flying taxi model from U.K. startup Vertical Aerospace Ltd. as the futuristic technology moves closer to becoming a reality.
Virgin will operate one flight from the main airport in Bristol, England, where Vertical is based, to an airfield elsewhere in the southwest, according to a joint statement Monday. A second will link the carrier’s own London Heathrow hub and a so-called vertiport to be built by infrastructure specialist Skyports.
The announcement comes at the start of the Farnborough Airshow southwest of London, where electric vertical takeoff and landing craft, or eVTOLs, are playing a higher profile role as competing designs reach maturity.
The demonstration missions will take place in spring 2024—subject to approval by the UK Civil Aviation Authority—in line with Vertical’s target of receiving type certification for its VX4 craft in time for service entry by 2025.
The program will be supported by £9.5 million ($11.4 million) in U.K. funding to a group led by engineering firm Atkins and including national air navigation service provider NATS, airports and a number of universities, as well as Vertical, Skyports and Virgin, which has a slew of outline orders for the VX4.
The test flights will evaluate vehicle operation, navigation, ground charging and security provision following development of physical and digital infrastructure, including a vertiport, where ground and aerial trials will begin in about a year.
Vertical Aerospace is one of a number of companies competing to be first to bring eVTOLs to market. The U.K. startup has a backlog of 1,400 commitments for the VX4, with American Airlines Group Inc. saying Friday it was ready to make down payments to reserve delivery slots.
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