Joby Aviation debuts electric air taxi flights in New York
California-based eVTOL developer completes the first point-to-point electric air taxi flights in New York City history, as the company moves toward FAA certification and a planned commercial launch.
By Nicole Suárez, Carbon Free Aviation Journalist
29 April 2026
Joby Aviation completed what it described as New York City’s first-ever point-to-point electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi demonstration flights on April 27, launching a week-long public campaign across the city’s existing heliport network. The company’s aircraft departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport and landed at a series of Manhattan heliports, including Downtown Skyport and the West 30th Street and East 34th Street Heliports in Midtown.
The campaign, running from April 27 to May 1, forms part of Joby’s broader “Electric Skies” U.S. tour, aimed at tracing some of the commercial routes the company envisions for New York, connecting Lower Manhattan and Midtown to JFK in under 10 minutes, a trip that, according to one estimate, currently takes between 60 and 120 minutes by car
The flights were conducted in partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and under the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), a framework established by executive order and designed to accelerate the commercial rollout of pre-certified eVTOLs across the United States.
In March 2026, Joby was selected for five of the FAA’s eIPP projects, covering the New York and New Jersey metro area, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Utah. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which was selected as a lead partner on one of the program’s pilot projects, coordinated with Joby and the FAA to integrate the flights into the city’s controlled airspace.
Joby’s aircraft is a piloted, all-electric eVTOL designed to carry four passengers and one pilot. Unlike helicopters, it uses six tilting propellers and fixed wings to transition from vertical takeoff to forward flight. The company says the aircraft produces no operating emissions and considerably lower noise footprint than similarly sized helicopters.
The regulatory front
Joby is navigating the final stages of a lengthy certification process. In late March 2026, the FAA confirmed that the developer had completed Stage 4 of its type certification process; this stage required Joby to demonstrate that its physical aircraft matched the design on file with the FAA. With this, one final stage remains, involving compliance flight testing, a type certificate issuance, and a separate air carrier certificate before Joby can begin carrying paying passengers.
Joby also benefits from partnerships with major transportation players, such as Uber and Delta Air Lines. Through these, the company aims to create a seamless end-to-end experience connecting ground transportation and air travel in a single journey.
In addition, Joby acquired Blade Air Mobility’s passenger business in 2025, inheriting the Midtown heliport operations central to this week’s campaign. The city’s infrastructure is also being prepared: led by the NYC Economic Development Corporation, New York City’s heliport network will be adding charging hardware in anticipation of the launch of commercial air taxi service.
Beyond the U.S., the company has been working with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority toward a 2026 commercial launch, a market that has moved faster on vertiport development and regulatory approval, while U.S. commercial service, including the New York routes demonstrated this week, remains contingent on completing the FAA certification process. The company has indicated it is targeting a late 2026 start, though no official date has been confirmed.
