Last month, Joby Aviation purchased Blade Air Mobility’s helicopter taxi business for $125 million, with the goal of eventually replacing those noisy, polluting helicopters with its more quiet, battery-powered air taxis. But while it waits for FAA certification, Joby is teaming up with Uber to get more passengers in its newly acquired fleet of helicopters.
Joby announced today that Uber customers will soon be able to reserve a helicopter ride on the ridehailing company’s app. The integration will launch “as soon as next year,” at which point Uber customers will be able to book helicopter trips from any of Blade’s Manhattan-based landing pads to a short list of destinations, including JFK and Newark airports as well as the Hamptons. Blade also serves several locales along the French Riviera, including Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Nice, and Monaco.
The integration will launch “as soon as next year”
Blade, which formed in 2014, has a robust helicopter transportation business, having flown more than 50,000 passengers in New York and Southern Europe in 2024. But some experts believe that helicopters could become obsolete as more electric vertical takeoff landing (eVTOL) aircraft are given clearance to fly. Joby, meanwhile, bought itself a leg up over its competitors by acquiring a company with established routes, customers, and infrastructure.
And now, through this Uber partnership, the company will be able to introduce an influential swath of the ridehailing company’s customer base to “the magic of seamless urban air travel,” said JoeBen Bevirt, CEO of Joby, in a statement.
Joby is in the process of acquiring FAA certification for its eVTOL aircraft, which looks like an oversized drone and can carry up to four passengers. The vehicle can take off vertically, like a helicopter, and then shift into forward flight using tilt rotors. Joby says it can reach a top speed of 200mph, travel 100 miles on a single battery charge, and is 100 times quieter than a conventional aircraft. Its pouch-style lithium-ion batteries can power the craft’s six electric motors for at least 10,000 flight cycles.
The company has been working with Uber for a while, first linking up in 2019, and then eventually acquiring the ridehailing company’s Elevate air taxi division in 2020. Joby plans on launching its first commercial service in Dubai in 2026, and has announced plans to operate in New York, Los Angeles, Florida, the UK, and Japan.
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