Vertical Aerospace aims to start cargo operations with its Velo electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft in 2030, after securing certification targeted for late 2028 or 2029, FreightWaves reported. The company is pitching the aircraft as a quieter, less expensive alternative to helicopters for urgent deliveries to places poorly served by road, sea or conventional aviation. Passenger air taxi operations would precede freight services.
Ship-to-shore deliveries, organ transport, humanitarian relief and dispersed defence logistics are among its intended cargo applications. Michael Cervenka, Vertical Aerospace’s chief commercial and strategy officer, told FreightWaves that the battery-powered version travels at 150 miles per hour over distances of 50–60 miles. A hybrid version using a gas turbine to extend its range could cover more than 1,000 miles on cargo and defence missions, he said.
The certification programme involves the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the US Federal Aviation Administration. Vertical Aerospace plans seven test aircraft: two ground-based airframes for structural checks and five for flight trials. FreightWaves reported that construction would begin next year, with flight testing scheduled across 2027 and 2028. Cervenka put the certification cost for each new aircraft type at $1 billion–$2 billion or more, explaining the decision to develop one platform for several markets.
According to Cervenka, Velo performed a piloted transition between vertical and wing-borne flight in April, then repeated the manoeuvre publicly over five consecutive days at the Farnborough Airshow. He described the electric aircraft’s hovering noise as comparable to a loud conversation and its cruising noise to a dishwasher. The company also argues that removing combustion engines reduces the maintenance demands associated with helicopter operations.
The operating model envisages carrying passengers by day and freight overnight to increase aircraft utilisation. Cervenka compared that flexibility with the conversion of passenger jets into freighters. He said improvements in batteries could eventually allow the same airframe to accommodate five or six passengers rather than four, or lift heavier cargo, without a fresh certification programme.