r/Vertical_Aerospace

INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT ON FORM 6-K

Director Changes

On May 10, 2026, Dómhnal Slattery provided notice to the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Vertical Aerospace Ltd. (the “Company”) of his intention to resign as Chairman and member of the Board, and subsequently agreed with the Board for his resignation to take effect on May 12, 2026.

Having overseen the achievement of key Company operational and financial milestones, including the recent historic two-way piloted transition flight and closing of a financing package totaling up to $850 million, Mr. Slattery has decided that now is the appropriate time to step down and focus on other business interests. 

Mr. Slattery has served as a member of the Board and its Chairman since January 2025, after previously serving as its Chairman from January 2022 to August 2023. The Board thanks Mr. Slattery for his leadership and contribution to the Company’s progress during the period of his service, and wishes him the very best in his future endeavors.

With effect from May 12, 2026, the Board has appointed Ben Story to serve as its interim Chairman pending the appointment of a permanent Chairman. Mr. Story, who has served on the Board since April 2024, is a former member of the Executive Leadership Team at Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, where he led strategy, M&A and major transformation initiatives. He also previously spent over two decades in investment banking, including as Head of UK Investment Banking at Citigroup, and served on the Board of Transport for London. Mr. Story is currently Chair of Digital Catapult, an innovation organization established by Innovate UK, an agency of the UK Government.

Read the full 6K…

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1867102/000110465926059355/tm2614337d1_6k.htm

A place for general discussion and events not considered as requiring a dedicated post. Quality contributions of note and depth may eventually go on to form the basis of future curated posts.

The AMA is live! Submit your questions below for our Chief Test Pilot Si Davies to answer.

The AMA will end the session at 16:45 GMT (12:45 EDT / 9:45 PDT)

>Thank you all for your questions, it was great chatting with you and look forward to doing this again soon - Si

A place for general discussion and events not considered as requiring a dedicated post. Quality contributions of note and depth may eventually go on to form the basis of future curated posts.

Vertical Aerospace Provides First Quarter Update, Achieves Key Execution Milestones and Advances Toward Certification

- Completed full envelope expansion prototype flight test campaign, becoming the first eVTOL to complete a two-way piloted transition – a critical technical milestone – under civil aviation Design Organisation Approval regulatory oversight

- Secured financing package of up to $850 million, strengthening liquidity and positioning delivery on technical and operational milestones progressing toward certification, with $50 million in raised equity and $30 million accessed to date

- On track to complete Critical Design Review (CDR), establishing the certifiable design baseline and formalized partnership network

- Q1 2026 Business & Strategy Update call today at 08:30 am ET (13:30 BST)  

London, UK & New York, USA, May 6, 2026 - Vertical Aerospace (NYSE: EVTL) (“Vertical,” “we,” “our” or the “Company”), a global aerospace and technology company that is pioneering electric aviation, today will provide a Business & Strategy Update for the first quarter of 2026, highlighting continued progress across flight testing, certification, and financing.

The Company’s Q1 2026 financial results filing is available on its investor relations website.

Stuart Simpson, CEO at Vertical, said: “This quarter represents a clear inflection point for Vertical. The successful completion of two-way piloted transition flight demonstrates our aircraft’s performance in real-world conditions and validates the core architecture required for certification. With this milestone achieved, our focus now shifts to executing Critical Design Review and advancing toward certification. Combined with our recent financing, we believe we are well positioned to deliver against our roadmap and progress Valo toward commercialization.”

Recent Highlights

Completion of Two-way Piloted Transition

 - Successfully completed the fourth and final phase of the prototype aircraft piloted flight test campaign under the direct oversight of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), validating core technology and supporting the certification pathway.

- 2026 milestones to date include completion of both thrustborne transition flight and two-way piloted transition flight, a critical technical validator achieved by a limited number of global peers.

- Completion of the piloted flight test campaign marks the transition from technology demonstration into certification-focused development.

- The Company plans a series of upcoming public flight demonstrations

Advancing Toward Critical Design Review

- Progressing towards the Critical Design Review (CDR), which establishes the certifiable design baseline and enables the build and test of certification-conforming aircraft.

 - Represents a key gating milestone ahead of full-scale certification testing, locking aircraft design elements, key supply chain configuration, and the certification partner ecosystem.

- Significant progress achieved across all major workstreams, including supplier alignment and validation of key structural and system elements.

 - After CDR is achieved, preparation for assembly of the first pre-production aircraft begins, supporting continued progression toward certification.

Financial Outlook & Clear Path to Certification

 - Strengthened balance sheet with a financing package of up to $850 million, providing access to a flexible suite of capital.

- Financing package is aligned to support key technical and operational milestones and progress towards certification.

- Ended the quarter with approximately $96 million (£73 million) of cash and cash equivalents.

- Short-term liquidity includes cash of approximately $103 million (£76 million) and anticipated near-term receipts from R&D tax reliefs (approximately $23 million / £17 million) and government grants & VAT (approximately $7 million / £6 million).

- Expected net cash outflows of between approximately $180 million and $200 million (£135 million to £145 million) over the next 12 months, reflecting continued investment in public flight demonstrations and key certification activities.

- Short-term liquidity, together with anticipated draws under available facilities, expected to provide at least 12 months runway.

Positioned for Next Phase

With the completion of transition flight and continued progress toward CDR, Vertical is entering a phase defined by disciplined execution against its certification roadmap.

The Company’s third prototype aircraft is expected to commence flight testing shortly, supporting further validation and certification activities.

Joining the Q1 Webcast

Vertical will host a webcast at 08:30 am ET (13:30 GMT) today to discuss the first quarter’s results. The call will be hosted by Vertical Chair, Dómhnal Slattery and Stuart Simpson, Vertical’s CEO. They will be joined by Simon Davies, Vertical’s Chief Test Pilot, and David King, Vertical’s Chief Engineer. 

To access the webcast, visit Vertical’s Investor Relations website at https://investor.vertical-aerospace.com/events-and-presentations/events/. A replay will be available on the Company’s website following the event.

 Read the full 6K…

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1867102/000110465926055898/tm2613343d1_ex99-1.htm