1st-ever, quiet electric air taxi from Joby Aviation flies over New York

Marking the first-ever electric air taxi flight in the US in an urban setting, Joby Aviation has successfully performed an exhibition flight in New York City.

Joby’s aircraft is optimised for rapid, back-to-back flights and can fly up to 100 miles on a single charge, covering 99 per cent of all trips taken across New York City’s five boroughs.

The aircraft was flown on Sunday from the iconic Downtown Heliport in Manhattan, NY, where New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the city’s intention to electrify the heliport, laying the groundwork for New York to become the global leader in the adoption of clean, quiet flight.

Joby’s Manhattan flight and participation followed several days of preparation flights at the HHI Heliport in Kearny, New Jersey.

“We plan to make quiet, emissions-free flight an affordable, everyday reality for New Yorkers, while significantly reducing the impact of helicopter noise,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, a company developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for commercial passenger service.

“We are honoured to be working with visionary partners like Delta Air Lines to bring our air taxi service to this market,” he added.

Joby previously announced through its partnership with Delta Air Lines that it expects New York to be one of its early launch markets after receiving certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

While travelling from Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) can take more than an hour by car, Joby expects the trip to take just seven minutes by air.

Joby and Delta are working closely with the Port Authority of New York and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) as they plan for initial operations, including the development of infrastructure at JFK and LaGuardia International Airport (LGA).

In 2022, Joby collaborated with NASA to measure the sound of its aircraft, confirming it registered the equivalent of 45.2 A-weighted decibels (dBA) when flying overhead at an altitude of 1,640 feet (500 meters) – quieter than a typical conversation.

Joby has flown more than 30,000 miles with its full-scale prototype eVTOL aircraft, beginning in 2017.