Vertical Aerospace Brings Valo to New York, Outlining Plans for Electric Air Taxi Routes - CleanTechnica

Vertical Aerospace has introduced its electric aircraft, Valo, to the U.S. market with a debut event in New York City, marking a significant step toward launching commercial electric air taxis. Valo is designed to fly up to 100 miles at speeds of 150 mph with zero emissions and is engineered to meet stringent airliner safety standards. The aircraft features a premium cabin with four seats, panoramic windows, and ample luggage space, with plans to expand to six seats to improve economics and reduce fares. Certification is targeted for 2028, enabling entry into service globally, including with partners like American Airlines. In collaboration with Bristow Group and Skyports Infrastructure, Vertical Aerospace is developing electric air taxi routes in and out of Manhattan to drastically reduce travel times—for example, cutting multi-hour road journeys from JFK Airport to Manhattan down to minutes. These routes leverage Bristow’s helicopter transport expertise and Skyports’ existing urban skyport infrastructure, including Manhattan’s Downtown Skyport. Proposed use cases include airport