Joby Aviation Completes NYC’s First-Ever Point-to-Point eVTOL Demonstrations
Joby announced this morning (Apr. 27) that its electric air taxi have started a week-long public campaign across NYC’s heliport network.
(New York, New York) Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY) announced today (Apr. 27) that its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) has completed the first-ever point-to point flight in New York City’s history, marking the start of a week-long public campaign across NYC’s existing heliport network.
Image of Joby’s electric air taxi flying over New York City during a 10-day flight campaign celebrating the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), courtesy of Joby Aviation.
“Framed against the most iconic skyline in the world, the campaign offers the first real-world demonstration of how electric air taxis, which are quiet and produce zero operating emissions, will be able to connect the region, linking vertiports, international airports, and communities across the New York metropolitan area,” reads today’s press release from Joby.
Joby’s aircraft N545JX departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and landed at a series of points along New York City’s heliport network, including Downtown Skyport, and the West 30th Street and East 34th Street Heliports in Midtown.
The routes traced some of the commercial route the company envisions for New York, connecting Lower Manhattan and Midtown to JFK in under 10 minutes, per Joby.
“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.“
Previously, Joby conducted its first-ever electric air taxi flight in New York City – which also marked NYC’s first-ever electric air taxi demonstration – in November of 2023, during an exhibition at the East 34th Street heliport.
Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole said: “The bridges, tunnels, airports, and rail lines that the Port Authority operates move hundreds of millions of people through this region every year, and our job is to make sure that network keeps pace with the future. 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. These flights advance our work to determine how next-generation aviation technology can serve the people of New York and New Jersey.”
Per today’s press release, this week’s Joby flights are intended to celebrate the March announcement of New York being selected under the federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), established by the Trump administrations executive order, which aims to accelerate commercial rollout of this next generation of air transportation across the U.S.; Joby was named a partner on five selected projects, spanning 12 states.
