American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic place bets on U.K. air taxi startup
A British flying car company has won the support of American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic in securing one of the largest preorders of aircraft in the nascent “air taxi” industry to date.
Vertical Aerospace said Thursday it has secured preliminary commitments for the purchase of up to 1,000 of its five-seat, electric-powered aircraft from the two major airlines, as well as Avolon, a large aircraft leasing group based in Ireland.
The British flying taxi company says that its aircraft, which it calls the VA-X4, will take off and land vertically, be “near silent” in flight, and travel up to 200 miles per hour for up to 100 miles. The company hopes to have its aircraft flying commercial flights by 2024.