Joby Aviation today announced “the completion of the first-ever point-to-point electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi demonstration flights in New York City’s history”, marking the start of a week-long public campaign across the city’s existing heliport network. The campaign has offered a real-world demonstration of how electric air taxis will be able to connect the region, linking vertiports, international airports, and communities across the New York metropolitan area, said the company.
Joby’s aircraft (N545JX) departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and landed across the city’s existing heliport network, including Downtown Skyport, and the West 30th Street and East 34th Street Heliports in Midtown, home to Blade Air Mobility’s premium passenger lounges. Together, these sites trace some of the commercial routes the company envisions for New York, connecting Lower Manhattan and Midtown to JFK in under 10 minutes.
“New York has always been a city that defines the future by demanding better,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby. “We first flew here in 2023, and now we’re showing what the next chapter looks like: a quiet, zero operating emissions air taxi service designed to better serve New Yorkers. This week, flying between JFK and Manhattan, we showed what the White House-backed eIPP initiative makes possible and offered New York a look at what’s coming.“
Led by the NYC Economic Development Corporation, and in partnership with Skyports Infrastructure and Vertiports by Atlantic, New York City’s heliport infrastructure will be electrified in anticipation of the launch of commercial air taxi service. Through partnerships with Delta Air Lines and Uber, Joby aims to create a seamless, end-to-end experience that connects ground transportation and air travel in a single journey. In a city where a typical commuter lost, by one estimate, 102 hours to traffic congestion in 2025, Joby’s goal is to reclaim that time by transforming a 60-to-120-minute drive to JFK into a seven-minute flight.
Joby continues to make progress in the final stages of FAA certification, marked by the recent flight of its first conforming aircraft for TIA, which will pave the way for FAA pilots to carry out for-credit tests, said the company.
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(Image: Joby)