LONDON, Oct. 25, 2021
/PRNewswire/ -- Vertical Aerospace ("Vertical"), the global
aerospace and technology company that is pioneering zero-emissions
aviation, today announces a collaboration with Heathrow Airport to
explore how Vertical's VA-X4 electric vertical take-off and landing
(eVTOL) vehicle could operate from Heathrow by the mid-2020s.
The agreement between Heathrow
and Vertical is a significant milestone for Britain's zero-emissions aviation industry.
Both parties will work closely to explore how this new technology
can fit into existing operations at the airport, build
understanding of the regulatory changes that would be required,
maximise potential job opportunities and minimise any potential
impacts on communities surrounding the airport.
With speeds of up to 200 mph, Vertical's piloted eVTOL will be
able to transport four passengers in near silence from Heathrow to the City
of London in 12 minutes, with zero operating emissions and
at a cost similar to a taxi. This new agreement comes as interest
in the future of urban air mobility is growing, with major airlines
already operating at Heathrow keen
to see the technology develop. Virgin Atlantic has already
announced a partnership for the UK launch of an eVTOL network with
Vertical and conditional pre-order options for up to 150
VA-X4s.
By working together, Vertical and Heathrow expect to help Britain maintain its leading position in
sustainable aviation technologies and support moves to a low carbon
economy to help meet the Government's net zero ambitions to make
the UK net zero by 2050.
Vertical's top-tier global customers include American Airlines,
Virgin Atlantic, Avolon, Bristow Group, Iberojet and Marubeni
Corporation. Through these relationships, Vertical believes that it
has the largest conditional pre-order book in the eVTOL industry,
of up to 1,350 aircraft worth $5.4bn.
Vertical's eVTOL aims to be an industry leader in safety, being on
track to be certified to the highest global standards and matching
the safety performance of airline passenger jets.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, CEO and
Founder of Vertical, said "Vertical continues to partner with
world leading organisations such as Rolls-Royce, Honeywell,
American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Bristow Group and Microsoft.
This partnership is a big step forward as we try to get the UK to
Net Zero by 2050. This announcement marks the start of an exciting
relationship that will help make eVTOLs flying from Heathrow by the mid-2020s a reality."
Chris Annetts, Chief Strategy
Officer of Heathrow, said "We
are delighted to be partnering with Vertical, a global champion in
emissions-free aviation. This emerging technology has the potential
to reduce congestion and pollution on local roads, while providing
passengers with a best-in-class experience on the cutting edge of
modern technology. We look forward to exploring the possibilities
of zero-emissions flight together."
Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin
Atlantic, said "Today's new partnership between Vertical
Aerospace and Heathrow Airport is an exciting next step on the
pathway to creating the infrastructure needed to support eVTOL
operations at our Heathrow
hub. We look forward to working closely with both Vertical
and London Heathrow to transform the first and last 100-mile
journey of passengers travelling through Heathrow".
About Vertical Aerospace
Vertical Aerospace is
pioneering electric aviation. The company was founded in 2016 by
Stephen Fitzpatrick, an established
entrepreneur best known as the founder of the Ovo Group, a leading
energy group and Europe's largest
independent energy retailer. Over the past five years, Vertical has
focused on building the most experienced and senior team in the
eVTOL industry, who have over 1,700 combined years of engineering
experience, and have certified and supported over 30 different
civil and military aircraft and propulsion systems.
Vertical's unrivalled top-tier partner ecosystem is expected to
de-risk operational execution and its pathway to certification,
allow for a lean cost structure and enable production at scale.
Vertical has received conditional pre-orders for a total of up to
1,350 aircraft from American Airlines, Avolon, Bristow and
Iberojet, which includes conditional pre-order options from Virgin
Atlantic and Marubeni, and in doing so, is creating multiple
potential near term and actionable routes to market. In
June 2021, Vertical announced a SPAC
merger with Broadstone Acquisition Corp (NYSE: BSN). Find out more
here.
About VA-X4 eVTOL Aircraft
The four passenger, one
pilot VA-X4 is projected to have speeds up to 200mph, a range over
100 miles, near silent when in flight, zero operating emissions and
low cost per passenger mile. The VA-X4 is expected to open up
advanced air mobility to a whole new range of passengers and
transform how we travel. Find out more:
www.vertical-aerospace.com
About Heathrow Airport
Heathrow is the UK's only hub airport and one
of the world's top international aviation hubs. The airport is
Britain's largest cargo port,
helping to drive British trade growth and assisting the country in
the fight against COVID-19. Heathrow's aim is to provide passengers with
the best airport service in the world
and is delighted to have been voted one of the world's
top ten airports in the 2021 Skytrax Awards. Heathrow has been awarded the "Best Airport in
Western Europe" for the
sixth year, and became the only UK airport to win the
COVID-19 Airport Excellence Award in recognition of the airport's
efforts to keep our passengers and colleagues safe during the
pandemic. Heathrow has passed the
CAA's COVID-19 Security Assurance Scheme and has secured the
Airport Health Accreditation from Airports Council
International.
About Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic
was founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard
Branson 37 years ago with innovation and customer service at
its core. In 2021, Virgin Atlantic was voted Britain's only Global Five Star Airline by
APEX for the fifth year running in the Official Airline Ratings as
well as receiving Diamond status, the highest possible standard by
APEX and Simpliflying for delivering the highest standards of
cleanliness and demonstrating an unwavering commitment to keeping
our customers and teams safe. Headquartered in London, Virgin Atlantic and its holiday
business, Virgin Atlantic Holidays, employs over 5,700 people
worldwide, serving 27 destinations across four continents.
Sustainability remains central to the airline and in September 2019, Virgin Atlantic took delivery of
its first Airbus A350-1000 aircraft - helping to transform the
fleet into one of the quietest and most fuel efficient in the sky.
By 2022, the airline will operate a streamlined fleet of 37 twin
engine aircraft following the retirement of its 747s and A332s, and
its simplified fleet will be 10% more efficient than before the
Covid-19 crisis.
Alongside shareholder and Joint Venture partner Delta Air Lines,
Virgin Atlantic operates a leading transatlantic network between
the UK and US with onward connections to over 200 US and
international cities. On 3 February
2020, Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic
received approval from the US DOT to launch an expanded
trans-Atlantic joint venture, offering a comprehensive route
network, convenient flight schedules, competitive fares and
reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, including the ability to earn
and redeem miles across all carriers.
For more information visit www.virginatlantic.com or
www.virginholidays.co.uk, Twitter and Instagram @virginatlantic
@virginholidays
About Broadstone Acquisition Corp.
Broadstone
Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: BSN) was set up by serial entrepreneurs,
operators and investors, Hugh
Osmond, Edward Hawkes and
Marc Jonas. It was established to
combine with a UK/European business with a strong management team,
significant growth prospects, and the opportunity to become a
market leader in its sector. Broadstone's executive team has an
extensive track record in value creation. The combination of a
strong internal team, a network of external resources and the
experience of the management team enables us to support rapid,
substantial, and lasting growth.
For more information
Vertical Aerospace – UK/Europe - Nepean
Gavin Davis
- gdavis@nepean.co.uk
Samuel Emden
- semden@nepean.co.uk / +447816 459 904
Vertical Aerospace – USA -
FTI
Hamm Hooper & Kayt Pitts –
verticalaerospace@fticonsulting.com / +1 773 786 7286
Heathrow
media_centre@heathrow.com /
+44 (0)20 8745 7224
Virgin Atlantic
press.office@fly.virgin.com / T:
01293 747373
Broadstone - Edelman
Iain Dey - Broadstone@Edelman.com / +44 7976
295906
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SOURCE Vertical Aerospace