MONACO, NICE, France & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 9, 2025--
Vertical Aerospace (“Vertical” or “Company”) [NYSE: EVTL], a global aerospace and technology company that is pioneering electric aviation, and Héli Air Monaco, the founding helicopter operator in the French Riviera, today announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the pre-order of Vertical’s Valo aircraft, opening a new chapter for sustainable air mobility along the Côte d’Azur.
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Valo - unveiled today in London and offering a premium cabin experience - is targeting concurrent regulatory certification with the European Union and UK aviation regulators in 2028.
Héli Air Monaco will operate Valo across its network, connecting destinations such as Monaco, Nice, Cannes and Saint-Tropez through quiet, comfortable, zero-operating emission flights.
A new era of sustainable flight for the French Riviera
This partnership signals an important step toward decarbonised aviation in Europe, enabling electric, quiet operations on some of the world’s busiest air taxi routes around Nice airport.
The deployment of Valo will help preserve the Riviera’s environment while elevating the region’s premium hospitality and travel offering. Héli Air Monaco will integrate Valo into its high-end mobility services, offering seamless transfers between airports and heliports.
Valo’s premium, spacious cabin expects to initially seat four and later six passengers, with panoramic windows, generous personal space, and capacity for six cabin bags and six check-in bags - setting a new standard of comfort for the region. Valo is designed to be certified to Europe’s 10 -9 safety standard, reflecting the highest levels of commercial aviation safety globally.
The partnership is being supported by Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur and Monaco Heliport, to develop the infrastructure adaptations required for Valo’s future operations.
Stuart Simpson, CEO, Vertical Aerospace, said: “Vertical and Héli Air Monaco share a vision for cleaner, quieter and more efficient travel across one of the world’s most iconic coastlines. This partnership builds on today’s launch of Valo, our new aircraft, and accelerates our momentum toward bringing electric flight to market. Together, we will redefine air mobility across the Côte d’Azur.”
Jacques Crovetto, CEO of Héli Air Monaco, added: “With Valo, we are reimagining the future of travel across the Riviera. By decarbonising our fleet of helicopters and dramatically reducing our noise footprint, we will be delivering a flight experience for our passengers that respects our neighbours, our environment, and shapes a sustainable future.”
Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Management Board of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, said: “The arrival of electric vertical take-off aircraft extends our efforts in transforming and decarbonizing air mobility, particularly over short distances. Our region offers a unique opportunity to fly over the sea to directly connect the main economic, cultural, or tourist destinations. As an alternative to the helicopter, the eVTOL has its place in the air transport offering and can provide a new short distance mobility solution in the future, including toward the hinterland. The airports of the Côte d’Azur, a laboratory for the airport of tomorrow, with the second largest platform in France and the gateway in and out of a landlocked region, must support these new decarbonized modes of mobility.”
Jérôme Journet, Director of Civil Aviation in the Principality of Monaco, said: “ We welcome the announcement of this new generation of aircraft, which promises a major step forward toward a decarbonized, quieter, and more environmentally-friendly aviation. The expertise developed in urban and regional air mobility places our region in a favorable position to support the emergence of more sustainable air transport solutions.”
About Vertical Aerospace
Vertical Aerospace is a global aerospace and technology company pioneering electric aviation. Vertical is creating a safer, cleaner, and quieter way to travel. Valo is a piloted, four-passenger, Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with zero operating emissions. Vertical is also developing a hybrid-electric variant, offering increased range and mission flexibility to meet the evolving needs of the advanced air mobility market.
Vertical combines partnerships with leading aerospace companies, including GKN, Honeywell, and Aciturri, with its own proprietary battery and propeller technology to develop the world’s most advanced and safest eVTOL.
Vertical has c.1,500 pre-orders of Valo, with customers across four continents, including American Airlines, Japan Airlines, GOL, and Bristow. Certain customer obligations are expected to be fulfilled via third-party agreements. Headquartered in Bristol, UK, Vertical’s experienced leadership team comes from top-tier aerospace and automotive companies such as Rolls-Royce, Airbus, GM, and Leonardo. Together, they have previously certified and supported over 30 different civil and military aircraft and propulsion systems.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that relate to our current expectations and views of future events. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Any express or implied statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Memorandum of Understanding and pre-orders from Héli Air Monaco, which are not legally binding, conditional and may be terminated without penalty at any time by either party; the planned flight routes in the along the Côte d’Azur, the design and manufacture of the Valo aircraft, the features and capabilities of the Valo aircraft and the hybrid- electric Valo aircraft variant, completion of the piloted test programme phases on the intended timeline or at all, certification and the commercialization of the both the Valo aircraft and the hybrid-electric Valo aircraft variant and our ability to achieve regulatory certification of our aircraft product on any particular timeline or at all, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, including our ability and plans to raise additional capital to fund our operations, the differential strategy compared to our peer group, expectations surrounding pre-orders and commitments, the transition towards a net-zero emissions economy, as well as statements that include the words “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “may,” “should,” “anticipate,” “will,” “aim,” “potential,” “continue,” “are likely to” and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. Forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including, without limitation, the other important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 11, 2025, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. We disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than to the extent required by applicable law.
Héli Air Monaco will operate Valo across its network
