Vertical Aerospace and Bristow Expand Partnership to Deliver Full Service eVTOL Operations, Bristow Pre-Orders up to 100 VX4s
Strategic partnership plans will combine Vertical’s VX4 eVTOL aircraft and Bristow’s vertical lift and operational and safety experience.
(London, United Kingdom) Electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle developer Vertical Aerospace (NYSE: EVTL) and vertical flight solutions company Bristow Group (NYSE: VTOL) announced today an expanded partnership, with plans to provide a “ready-to-fly” model to provide Vertical’s customers with ‘turnkey access to aircraft, pilots, maintenance and insurance,’ with Bristow pre-ordering up to 50 of Vertical’s VX4 eVTOLs, with an option to purchase up to 50 more.
Rendering of Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in flight courtesy of Vertical Aerospace.
Specifically, Vertical and Bristow will develop a scalable, capital-light eVTOL platform, designed to reduce barriers to adopting these aircraft by providing Vertical customers with fully integrated solutions to launch services without building operational infrastructure from scratch, according to today’s press release from Vertical Aerospace. Bristow will leverage its multiple Air Operator Certificates (AOCs) and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) network to offer fully managed operations, and the companies are currently exploring new MRO services, including battery swapping and field maintenance solutions.
With respect to safety initiatives, the companies will combine their respective safety management systems and utilize the VX4’s cloud-connected architecture to deliver predictive maintenance, enhanced reliability, and data-driven fleet insights.
Bristow Group currently specializes in helicopter offshore oil & gas transportation and search and rescue (SAR) services for civil and government organizations worldwide.
The partnership will serve as a key step toward enabling Vertical’s Flightpath 2030 strategy, whereby Vertical seeks to certify the VX4 by 2028, deliver at least 150 aircraft, achieve an annual production rate exceeding 200 VX4 units in Q4 2030 – with medium-term plans to scale up to 700 units – and become sustainably cash-generative and achieve cash break-even by 2030.
“We are excited about expanding our relationship with Vertical and helping move the future of advanced air mobility forward,” said Bristow President and CEO Chris Bradshaw. “Bristow has over 75 years of providing critical safety, operational, certification, and logistics expertise, and this agreement outlines a framework to help scale these new aircraft globally, offering customers a seamless path from concept to revenue.”
Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace, said: “This strategic partnership is about execution and mirrors what already successfully works in aviation today. It will lower barriers to market entry and accelerate the adoption of eVTOL services worldwide. Together, we’re making it easy for customers to adopt electric flight, allowing them to focus on what they are best at – customer service, loyalty and sales.”
