Aircraft
Bristow Prepares To Launch UK eVTOL Air Taxi Network
Announcement coincides with Vertical’s new aircraft unveiling
Vertical Aerospace Valo launch in London
Vertical Aerospace chairman Dómhnal Slattery spoke at the company's launch of its Valo eVTOL aircraft in London on December 10. © AIN/Charles Alcock

Helicopter group Bristow has confirmed it expects to operate the UK’s first eVTOL air taxi service from the first quarter of 2029. As an early customer for the Valo aircraft that Vertical Aerospace unveiled in London on Wednesday, it is working with the manufacturer to develop a network of routes that would include a 12-minute connection from the Canary Wharf business district on the east side of London to Heathrow Airport on the west side.

The plans were announced before the event to introduce Vertical’s redesigned six-passenger Valo aircraft, which will fly up to 87 nm at 130 knots. The UK-based manufacturer said it aims to produce 175 aircraft by the start of 2030, rising to an annual total of more than 225 by the fourth quarter of that year