Vertical Aerospace, Honeywell deepen ties to take key air-taxi systems to certification

Shivansh Tiwary

Thu, May 8, 2025, 3:03 AM 2 min read

By Shivansh Tiwary

(Reuters) -British electric-aircraft steadfast Vertical Aerospace said connected Thursday it has expanded its concern with Honeywell nether a caller semipermanent woody to assistance certify cardinal systems for its VX4 aerial taxi.

Under the expanded collaboration, Honeywell volition enactment the certification of 2 captious systems - the craft absorption system, including the formation deck, and the formation power system, featuring its compact fly-by-wire technology.

Vertical is moving to get these systems certified done the UK Civil Aviation Authority, which is coordinating with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

The statement could beryllium worthy up to $1 cardinal implicit the adjacent decennary and aims to accelerate the VX4's improvement up of planned certification successful 2028 and archetypal deliveries by 2030.

Air-taxi startups are racing to get approvals and commercialize electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, betting connected increasing request for faster, much sustainable municipality transportation.

"The woody besides makes definite that we person got the capableness to present capable hardware to enactment Vertical's targeted craft physique to conscionable their lawsuit demand," Dave Shilliday, Vice President of Advanced Air Mobility astatine Honeywell Aerospace Technologies told Reuters successful an interview.

Honeywell and Vertical person collaborated since 2019 connected precocious aerial mobility, with the second supplying formation systems for the VX4 prototype and investing successful the UK-based aerospace startup.

Vertical intends to present astatine slightest 150 craft to customers by 2030.

Air-taxi startups person been rapidly spending currency successful their propulsion to motorboat commercialized services portion navigating a stringent regulatory landscape.

Vertical's existent currency equilibrium volition instrumentality it done the extremity of the year, CEO Stuart Simpson reiterated successful an interrogation with Reuters.

"Over the people of this year, we'd beryllium raising funds to spot america done 2026 and beyond," Simpson added.

(Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary successful Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra ELuri)