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Joby completed the first-ever electric air taxi flight in New York City on Sunday. The exhibition flight with Joby's eVTOL was the first time the company had flown its aircraft in an urban setting. Joby announced the major milestone in the path to commercial passenger services on Thursday.
At the iconic Downtown Heliport in Manhattan, New York, pilot James "Buddy" Denham on the important flight. On Monday, at the same Heliport, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the city's intent to electrify the heliport, preparing the city to become a global leader in the adoption of clean and quiet flight. The New York flight followed days of preparation flights at the HHI Heliport in Kearny, New Jersey.
"By electrifying one of the most famous heliports in the world, New York is demonstrating global leadership in the adoption of electric air travel," Joby Aviation Founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said. "We're grateful for the support of the city, and we're honored to be working with visionary partners like Delta Air Lines to bring our air taxi service to this market. We plan to make quiet, emissions-free flight an affordable, everyday reality for New Yorkers, while significantly reducing the impact of helicopter noise."
Previously, Joby announced its partnership with Delta Airlines and the intention of making New York one of the early launch markets following FAA certification. The company will offer quick, quiet trips using a piloted, four-passenger electric aircraft. The fast travel will offer an alternative to ground and air transport with zero operating emissions. Joby's eVTOL is optimized for swift, back-to-back flights and can fly up to 100 miles on a single charge. These capabilities will allow the eVTOL to take trips across New York City's five boroughs. When flying from Manhattan to John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), it can take travelers more than an hour by car, but should only take seven minutes by air.
"The Adams Administration has been a leader in driving technology innovation and economic growth while simultaneously improving quality of life," said Andrew Kimball, New York City economic development corporation president and CEO. "EDC's new strategy for the Downtown Manhattan Heliport reflects these priorities while making it an industry leader in the embrace of eVTOLS - a quieter and greener helicopter alternative - while at the same time facilitating maritime freight with last mile e-bike deliveries that takes trucks off the roads."
Joby and Delta are working with the Port Authority of New York and the New York EDC as plans develop for air taxi operations, including developing infrastructure at JFK and LaGuardia International Airport (LGA). This collaborative effort builds upon the recent investments Delta has made to upgrade customer service experience in New York.
"Delivering exceptional experiences for our customers is why Delta has invested over $7B in New York City, especially at our LaGuardia and JFK hubs," said Gail Grimmett, SVP of Sustainability Performance and Strategic Partnerships at Delta. "Today's announcement demonstrates the great progress that's been made toward launching clean, quiet and convenient air taxi services for Delta customers traveling to and from New York, and is a testament to our innovative partners at Joby and the support of Mayor Eric Adams in advancing new and sustainable technologies."
Joby's eVTOL is being designed to have a lower acoustic footprint compared to helicopters. The low noise level will allow the eVTOL to operate in densely populated regions like New York City, without adding to the background noise. In 2022 Joby and NASA collaborated to determine the sound of the aircraft, confirming that it registered the equivalent of 45.2 A-weighted decibels (dBA) when flying at an altitude of 1,640 feet.
In 2022 a Senate Bill was sent to Governor Kathy Hochul in New York after being passed by the State Assembly and State Senate, concerning noise pollution from rotorcraft. The bill would have allowed anyone to sue a pilot, line service personnel, flight department or company employee for rotorcraft noise pollution. A petition began in 2020 asking that non-essential helicopters should not fly over densely populated areas and addresses the noise pollution created by these aircraft and the inconvenience to the community. Ultimately, Gov. Hochul vetoed the bill.RELATED STORIES:Joby begins piloted flight testingJoby delivers first eVTOL to USAF baseNBAA thanks NY gov. Kathy Hochul for vetoing Stop the Chop actNBAA urges members to contact New York governor to veto helicopter noise pollution billThe quieter eVTOL aircraft offer a solution to keep the aviation industry operating smoothly while appeasing local communities. The use of electric air taxis offers travelers a quieter, more sustainable commute. Joby has flown over 30,000 miles with its full-scale prototype eVTOL aircraft since 2017. The company recently celebrated the first aircraft to leave its Pilot Production Plant in Marina, California and delivered its first aircraft to the U.S. Air Force for on-base operational testing. Joby expects to launch its commercial passenger service in 2025.