Joby Completes First Point-to-Point Electric Air Taxi Flights in New York
Joby Aviation has completed New York City’s first point-to-point electric air taxi demonstration flights. The flights opened a week-long public campaign using the city’s existing heliport network. They also showed how an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft can operate on real routes inside FAA-controlled airspace.
The aircraft, N545JX, departed John F. Kennedy International Airport and landed at several city heliports, including Downtown Skyport, West 30th Street Heliport and East 34th Street Heliport. Those sites trace the kind of commercial network Joby wants to build across New York, linking Manhattan with major airports and regional destinations. The company says routes between Lower Manhattan, Midtown and JFK could take less than 10 minutes, with its target JFK flight time around seven minutes compared with a 60-to-120-minute car trip.
The campaign follows New York’s selection under the federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, a White House-backed effort designed to accelerate commercial deployment of advanced air mobility in the United States. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey worked with the FAA, Joby and other partners to make the flights possible at one of the country’s busiest aviation hubs. New York City is also preparing its heliport infrastructure for electric aircraft charging through work led by the city’s economic development agency with Skyports Infrastructure and Vertiports by Atlantic.
Joby’s New York plan is tied closely to its 2025 acquisition of Blade Air Mobility’s passenger business, now a wholly owned subsidiary. Blade served more than 90,000 passengers in 2025 and brings passenger infrastructure in Manhattan and at key regional airports. Joby also plans to connect air taxi trips with ground transport and airline travel through partnerships with Delta Air Lines and Uber.
The aircraft is designed with multiple redundant systems to support safety and reliability. Joby says its all-electric design produces zero operating emissions and has a much lower noise footprint than similar conventional aircraft or helicopters. If certification and operating approvals proceed as planned, the New York flights could move urban air travel closer to a shift from helicopters to quieter electric air taxis that cut airport travel times.