Cotswolds home to UK's first air taxi centre

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A Valo aircraft on the ground. It is silver and it has large propellers on each of its wings.

ByMatty EdwardsWest of England and Alastair McKeeWest of England

Futuristic air taxis that take off like helicopters will be built at a new facility that is the first of its kind in the UK.

Bristol-based company Vertical Aerospace has announced a new aircraft assembly centre at Cotswold Airport, near Kemble in Gloucestershire, describing it as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity".

The Valo aircraft currently being developed and tested there are electric, carry four passengers and can fly up to 160km (100 miles) with no operating emissions, the firm said.

Minister for Reindustrialisation Blair McDougall said the new facility would "help turn British innovation into British manufacturing".

The new centre adds 60,000sq ft (5,574sq m) of space to Vertical's existing flight test centre at Cotswold Airport.

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Vertical said construction of the new aircraft would begin in late 2027 with an initial 25 being built every year before the company increases that number to 900 a year by 2035.

The company said it had 1,500 orders, many of which were from airlines.

It said there were plans to get the planes certified for commercial use by 2029.

A man pictured in front of a small aircraft. He has short dark hair and facial hair and is wearing a blue blazer over a grey jacket. He is looking at the camera and smiling.

Vertical's CEO Stuart Simpson said: "We're getting really close to this idea of flying cars, flying taxis.

"Opening our aircraft assembly centre is an important step in Vertical's transition from prototype developer to aircraft manufacturer.

"Bringing a new category of aircraft to market is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and it is especially rewarding to do that here in Great Britain, drawing on the country's proud aviation heritage."

The Valo air taxi in a hangar with luggage - two silver-coloured suitcases and a white golf bag - in front of it. The doors on the side of the aircraft are open showing two seats and a luggage compartment in which a few silver-coloured suitcases can be seen. The interior, including the seats, is white/cream in colour.

McDougall said the assembly centre was "exactly the kind of investment we want to see more of as we work to reindustrialise Britain, creating high-skilled local jobs and strengthening our manufacturing base".

Suzannah Harvey, CEO of Cotswold Airport, said she was "delighted" to support the new centre which she said strengthened the airport's "growing role as a hub for aerospace innovation".

Plans for a separate full-scale production site, intended to support higher-volume manufacturing, are expected to be announced later this year.

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