World-leading hydrogen electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft developer welcomes respected industry leaders for the next phase of growth, certification and worldwide / global market launch
AMSL Aero , the developer of the world-leading hydrogen-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft Vertiia, has appointed Dr Adriano Di Pietro as Chief Executive Officer.
Dr Di Pietro will lead the Australian company into its next phase of growth and bring its revolutionary aircraft to certification and international market launch. Vertiia is one of the world’s most advanced hydrogen eVTOLs, the new generation of aircraft that take off and land like a helicopter but fly fast and smoothly like a fixed-wing aeroplane.
Dr Di Pietro joins AMSL Aero from the Aerospace Innovation Research Hub (AIR Hub) at Swinburne University where he served as Director and CEO (Interim) of the Australian Air Mobility Cooperative Research Centre (AAMCRC). He brings deep knowledge, strategic acumen, and scale-up and go-to-market experience to the role, with nearly 20 years of leadership and technical expertise spanning aerospace, automotive, defense and autonomous systems.
In November 2024, AMSL Aero joined an elite group of top-tier global companies to fly an eVTOL in untethered horizontal flight successfully. The historic test flights underscored Vertiia’s leadership as the first eVTOL in the world, designed from inception to utilize hydrogen for long-range, heavy-lift, and passenger operations.
Dr Di Pietro joins AMSL Aero as the company prepares to build its second full-scale prototype of Vertiia and undertake its first hydrogen-powered flight test program. Dr Di Pietro will lead AMSL Aero’s campaign for certification of Vertiia by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), scale up manufacturing capability, and drive global commercial expansion, fueled by strong forward orders.
AMSL Aero Co-Founder and Board Director Andrew Moore said: “I am delighted that Adriano has chosen to join AMSL Aero. His deep technical expertise and industry leadership make him uniquely suited to lead the team into our next growth phase as we move towards hydrogen flight testing.”
Dr Di Pietro said: “I am excited to join AMSL Aero. I believe in the company’s bold vision to revolutionize air mobility through accessible zero-emissions technology. AMSL has a world-class team that’s not only redefining the future of aviation but building a cleaner, faster, and more connected regional transportation system, something that’s vital to Australia’s economic resilience, accessibility, and future prosperity.”
AMSL Aero Chair Chris Smallhorn welcomed Dr Di Pietro, saying his appointment is well-timed to elevate AMSL Aero’s leading development and commercial position.
Mr. Smallhorn said: “After a highly competitive search, we are thrilled to welcome Adriano. His track record in scaling aerospace technology ventures will be instrumental in the next phase of development with our second full-scale prototype, maintaining our position as a global leader in zero-emission aviation. He will lead our growing team of more than 65 talented and passionate engineers and aviation experts as we bring Vertiia’s affordable, zero-emission, long-range, point-to-point aviation capabilities to Australia and the world.”
Dr Di Pietro commences his CEO role at AMSL Aero in the week beginning July 7, 2025.
Adriano Di Pietro Biography
Dr Adriano Di Pietro is a globally recognized aerospace executive and deep-tech innovator with nearly 20 years of international experience spanning aerospace, defense, and automotive systems. He has helped scale multiple high-tech ventures across Australia, the US, and Europe. He holds a PhD in advanced aerospace manufacturing technology and a degree in engineering.
Most recently, Dr Di Pietro served as CEO (Interim) of the Australian Air Mobility Cooperative Research Centre (AAM CRC), where he brought together Australia’s advanced air mobility industry as a key driver of Australia’s future aviation system.
Concurrently, as Director of the Aerospace Innovation Research (AIR) Hub at Swinburne University of Technology, he led an expert team supporting the growth of Australia’s uncrewed air systems (UAS) and advanced air mobility development and manufacturing industry with significant development in zero-emission hydrogen-powered flight.
Previously, Dr Di Pietro held key roles at XTEK (now HighCom Group) as Chief Technology Officer, where he led the commercialization of aerospace and defense technologies. He was also one of the first employees at Zoox, the Silicon Valley-based autonomous vehicle company acquired by Amazon, and held leadership roles at Quickstep Technologies, a leading aerospace composites manufacturer in Australia and Germany.
Acerca de AMSL Aero
AMSL Aero es una empresa australiana de desarrollo de aeronaves de emisiones cero fundada en 2017. La empresa tiene su sede en Bankstown, Sídney (Australia), y cuenta con instalaciones de pruebas de vuelo en la región de Nueva Gales del Sur. El equipo de clase mundial de AMSL Aero tiene experiencia internacional en todos los aspectos del diseño aeroespacial, pruebas de vuelo, fabricación, certificación y operaciones comerciales de aviación. AMSL Aero cuenta con el respaldo de inversores privados como IP Group Australia, Telstra Super, Host Plus y StB Capital Partners, así como del Gobierno australiano. Más información sobre AMSL Aero - www.amslaero.com
AMSL Aero Vertiia Fact Sheet
- Vertiia es un avión VTOL (despegue y aterrizaje vertical) híbrido de largo alcance y cero emisiones, altamente eficiente gracias a su combinación única de eficiencia aerodinámica y diseño estructural.
- Vertiia takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter, and flies fast and efficiently like a fixed-wing aeroplane. It is safer, quieter, and more efficient than a helicopter
- Vertiia tiene potencial para funcionar con cero emisiones de carbono utilizando hidrógeno verde
- El avión civil inicial estará certificado para vuelos pilotados, con sistemas de autonomía instalados para futuras aplicaciones pilotadas a distancia.
- A largo plazo, el coste de explotación de Vertiia será comparable al de los aviones de corto alcance (nacionales), pero tiene la ventaja de transportar pasajeros de puerta a puerta al no necesitar una pista de aterrizaje.
- La configuración de la ambulancia aérea ligera de Vertiia tiene capacidad para un piloto, un paramédico y/o un médico y un paciente, o puede configurarse para transportar pasajeros (1 piloto + 4pax) o carga.
- Vertiia will cruise at 300km/h and its range will be up to 1,000km on hydrogen power
- AMSL Aero es titular de las patentes internacionales de Vertiia, que protegen sus principales características tecnológicas, como su exclusivo mecanismo de inclinación del ala, combinado con su diseño de ala en caja y su sistema de control de vuelo.
- Vertiia es una aeronave de ala basculante con ocho motores eléctricos que puede operar desde un helipuerto o un lugar de aterrizaje de tamaño similar.
- Vertiia tiene capacidad para conectar centros regionales y, debido al reducido número de asientos, puede realizar servicios a la carta (no programados) para reducir el exceso de capacidad (asientos vacíos).
... notas de SP
Story and Imag Credit: AMSL Aero Media


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