Vertiia all-electric aircraft takes maiden flight

Australian green aerospace company AMSL Aero has announced that Vertiia, the world’s most efficient and longest-range Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, has successfully completed its maiden test flight.

This is the first ever flight by an Australian-designed and built eVTOL, which is the new generation of aircraft that take off and land like a helicopter, but fly like a plane.

Vertiia completed its tethered hover by remote control in the Central West region of New South Wales, in strict accordance with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulations.

The flight marks a vital milestone for Vertiia, which has zero carbon emissions and can carry four passengers and a pilot at a cruising speed of 300kph. Vertiia can fly up to 1,000km, three times the range of any eVTOL, making it the most efficient eVTOL in the world.

AMSL Aero expects to commence deliveries of the Vertiia in 2026 to customers in the aeromedical, cargo, emergency and regional air mobility sectors.

According to AMSL Co-Founder, Siobhan Lyndon, Vertiia will enable greater access to medical services for vulnerable remote, rural and regional communities, offering new models of care through rapid and low-cost connectivity. “Vertiia is not only safe and quiet, but it was also developed for the harsh long-distance conditions in Australia. If it can work in Australia, it can work anywhere,” she said.

She added: “Unlike aeromedical aeroplanes that require a runway, Vertiia will carry patients directly from any location straight to the hospital, significantly reducing the complexity and time often required to transport vulnerable patients.

“It will also be quieter and safer than helicopters and will eventually cost as little as a car to maintain and run, transforming aeromedical transport into a far more affordable, accessible, safer and reliable option.”