Joby Completes First Point-to-Point eVTOL Air Taxi Flights in New York City
Joby completed New York City’s first point-to-point eVTOL air taxi demonstration flights. The flights opened a week-long public campaign across the city’s existing heliport network and marked a new test of electric air taxi operations in FAA-controlled airspace.
The company’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, registered as N545JX, departed John F. Kennedy International Airport and landed at multiple heliport sites in the city. The stops included Downtown Skyport, West 30th Street Heliport and East 34th Street Heliport in Midtown, where Blade Air Mobility operates premium passenger lounges. The route network reflects some of the commercial services Joby is targeting in New York, including trips linking Lower Manhattan and Midtown with JFK in under 10 minutes.
The flights were enabled through the federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, after New York was selected under the initiative. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey worked with the FAA, Joby and other program partners to support the demonstrations at one of the country’s busiest aviation hubs. New York City’s heliport infrastructure is also being prepared for electric aircraft charging through work led by NYC Economic Development Corporation, with Skyports Infrastructure and Vertiports by Atlantic among the partners.
Joby’s New York strategy also relies on its 2025 acquisition of Blade Air Mobility’s passenger business, now a wholly owned subsidiary. Blade brings operating experience and passenger infrastructure in Manhattan and at major New York-area airports, after serving more than 90,000 passengers in 2025. Joby plans to combine air taxi service with ground and airline connections through partnerships with Delta Air Lines and Uber.
The company says its aircraft is designed with redundant systems to improve safety and reliability, while producing a much lower noise footprint than similarly sized conventional aircraft or helicopters. Joby is still working through the final stages of FAA certification, including progress tied to its first conforming aircraft for TIA and future for-credit testing by FAA pilots. If certified and deployed commercially, the service could cut a 60-to-120-minute road trip to JFK to about seven minutes by air, giving New York a faster and quieter option for airport travel while accelerating the shift from helicopters to zero-operating-emission aircraft.