Vertical Aerospace has opened a new aircraft assembly centre at Cotswold Airport, marking another step towards bringing its Valo electric VTOL aircraft into production.
The new facility, located alongside Vertical’s existing Flight Test Centre at Kemble, gives the company a dedicated space for assembling aircraft that will be used in the certification programme and, eventually, for early customer deliveries.
For aviation enthusiasts and spotters, the development is significant because it means Cotswold Airport is set to become not only a flight-test location for Vertical’s aircraft, but also an assembly site.
The new centre adds around 60,000 sq ft of operational and assembly space. Together with the existing Flight Test Centre and other facilities on the site, Vertical now occupies approximately 130,000 sq ft at Cotswold Airport.
Certification aircraft to be assembled at Kemble
Vertical plans to begin assembling its first certification-conforming Valo aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2027.
These aircraft will form part of the company’s programme to demonstrate the aircraft’s compliance with UK Civil Aviation Authority requirements. Vertical is currently targeting UK Type Certification in 2029.
That means the coming years could see a noticeable increase in Valo activity around Kemble, with aircraft moving between assembly, ground testing and flight testing as the certification programme progresses.
The company also plans to modify one of its existing prototype aircraft for hybrid-electric flight testing during the first half of 2027.
More than 25 aircraft a year
The new assembly centre is intended to handle the early stages of Valo production as well as certification aircraft.
Once the aircraft has been certified, Vertical expects the Kemble facility to have the capacity to assemble more than 25 aircraft per year during the initial production phase.
However, this is not intended to be the company’s final high-volume production facility. Vertical plans to establish a separate, larger manufacturing site for increased production, with further details expected later in 2026.
For spotters, the Kemble site could therefore remain an important location even after full-scale production moves elsewhere, with aircraft assembly, development work and flight testing all taking place alongside one another.
Another aircraft type for Kemble
Vertical’s Valo is an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft being developed for short-range passenger operations.
The aircraft is designed to combine vertical take-off and landing with conventional forward flight, making it possible to operate without a conventional runway for take-off and landing.
The prototype programme has already brought Vertical’s aircraft into the Kemble skies, and the opening of the assembly centre points towards a future where increasingly representative aircraft will be seen at the airport.
For those following activity at Cotswold Airport, the most interesting period is likely to come as the first certification aircraft begin to emerge from the new hangar. With assembly and flight testing now located on the same site, Kemble is set to play an increasingly important role in Vertical Aerospace’s Valo programme.
For spotters, the takeaway is simple: keep an eye on Kemble. The next phase of the Valo programme should bring more aircraft, more testing and potentially some very interesting movements to Cotswold Airport.