CAMBRIDGE NAMED AMONG FIRST PLANNED COMMERCIAL ROUTES

ELECTRIC flying taxis may become available to Cambridge residents travelling to London airports from 2028, a UK company has announced.

- By MATHILDE GRANDJEAN

Vertical Aerospace hopes its Valo aircraft, which has a capacity for up to six passengers, can get regulatory approval in three years.

The first planned commercial routes would include airport-to-city centre connections.

Members of the public could see the full-scale prototype at an open house in Canary Wharf yesterday (Wednesday, December 10).

Vertical Aerospace chief executive Stuart Simpson said in a statement: "Valo is the aircraft that turns electric flight into a commercial reality clean, quiet, fast and engineered for every day service.

"It marks a new dawn in transport, one that will connect people in minutes, not hours."

Planned destinations for flying taxis departing from Canary Wharf include London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Cambridge, Oxford and Bicester.