Virgin Atlantic to Test Flying Taxi in London

Virgin Atlantic will test a flying taxi from UK start-up Vertical Aerospace.

It will make one flight from the main airport in Bristol, England, where Vertical is based, to an airfield elsewhere in the southwest. The second flight will go from London Heathrow Airport to the so-called Vertiport to be built by Skyports.

The company wants to test the vehicle's operability, navigation, ground charging and security after the infrastructure developing.

Vertical Aerospace has also announced a partnership with Babcock International Group to explore the VX4 air taxi's ability to provide emergency medical and cargo transport services. Demonstration flights are due to take place in spring 2024, if the company manages to obtain the necessary approvals from the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

Vertical Aerospace is one of several companies looking to bring eVTOLs to market first. The British start-up already has 1,400 orders for the VX4, and earlier American Airlines Group said it was ready to make advance payments to reserve seats for delivery.