Vertical Aerospace Welcomes UK CAA's Preparation for Commercial eVTOL Operations by 2028

Vertical Aerospace (“Vertical”) [NYSE:EVTL], a global aerospace and technology company that is pioneering electric aviation, today expressed its support for the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) recent publication of a policy consultation outlining the regulatory framework for commercial electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operations from 2028.

The consultation represents a defining moment for the UK’s advanced air mobility sector, aligning with both Vertical’s certification and market entry timeline and the UK Government’s objective of enabling first commercial eVTOL services by 2028.

The consultation sets out regulatory requirements for commercial eVTOL operations, including pilot licensing, flight operations, vertiport infrastructure, and aircraft airworthiness. Importantly, it reaffirms SC-VTOL as the basis for type certification – the high-safety certification standard first developed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and equivalent to those used by commercial airliners. This alignment between the CAA and EASA ensures a globally recognized, fully exportable certification pathway.

The CAA is leveraging existing aviation frameworks wherever possible – covering pilot training, airspace management, and maintenance – and reinforces safety as the top priority, while ensuring regulation must also support innovation and sector growth. This continuity provides predictability and confidence to UK manufacturers, investors, and operators and ensures that new eVTOL services will be integrated safely and efficiently into the UK’s established aviation system and compatible with international frameworks.

Trevor Woods, Director of Regulatory Affairs at Vertical Aerospace said: “Clear and consistent regulation is critical to Vertical’s industrial scale-up and the VX4’s safe entry-into-service. The UK’s rigorous yet progressive approach provides a de-risked pathway to certification and operations in 2028, ensuring we can scale globally with confidence while meeting the highest safety standards in the industry. We value the CAA’s collaborative approach – working side-by-side with industry to build a safe, efficient regulatory framework for the certification and operation of our aircraft.”

This week, Vertical’s Chief Engineer, David King, joined the ‘CAA on Air’ podcast to discuss how close collaboration between the regulator and manufacturer is accelerating progress toward safe, certified eVTOL operations. Vertical also announced this week that it has received its Permit to Fly from the CAA and commenced ‘Phase 4 – Transition’ flight testing, the final stage of its VX4 prototype flight-test programme.