Dive Brief:
- Air taxi manufacturer Joby Aviation began a series of weeklong demonstration flights yesterday in New York City, departing from John F. Kennedy International Airport and touching down at several heliports in Manhattan.
- The Federal Aviation Administration selected New York City in March as one of six locations for projects to spur the deployment of advanced air mobility vehicles into U.S. airspace.
- The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation to participate in the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, is working with Joby on the demonstration flights, the company said in a news release.
Dive Insight:
The Trump administration has prioritized advanced air mobility, including cargo drones, emergency medical response operations, regional passenger transportation and offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico, to ensure U.S. leadership in aviation innovation.
“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,” Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said in a statement.
Joby acquired helicopter and seaplane operator Blade Air Mobility last year, giving it access to heliports on the West and East Sides of Manhattan and Wall Street. The New York City Economic Development Corporation, in partnership with air taxi infrastructure companies Skyports Infrastructure and VertiPorts by Atlantic, plans to electrify the city’s heliports to prepare for the start of commercial air taxi service, Joby said.
“These historic Joby flights, linking our city-owned heliport to our airports, are proof that the future of advanced air mobility is no longer a Jetsons-esque fantasy — it’s already here,” NYCEDC Interim President and CEO Jeanny Pak said in a statement.
Joby Aviation x New York City 🗽 pic.twitter.com/POKstqeJPL
— Joby Aviation (@jobyaviation) April 27, 2026
“Our vision for New York is simple: make getting to the airport — one of the city's most daunting experiences — one of its best, through partnerships with Delta [Airlines] and Uber that connect ground transportation and air travel in a single, seamless journey,” Joby said in a post on X.
Joby said its electric aircraft are quieter than helicopters or conventional aircraft. For safety and reliability, the air taxis are designed with redundancies across multiple systems.
“This cutting-edge aircraft is exactly the kind of innovation we have a responsibility to test, understand, and help shape for the good of the region and the public,” Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said in a statement.
Joby conducted demonstration flights in the San Francisco Bay Area in March and said it will continue to tour the country this year.
