GoKawiilNew Yorkers this week are getting a glimpse of the future of aviation, as electric air taxis soar across the city’s network of airports and heliports for the first time.
After conducting a handful of test flights over the weekend, a Joby Aviation production prototype eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft lifted off Monday from John F. Kennedy International (KJFK), marking the first time an electric air taxi has departed one of New York City’s three major airports.
It touched down at the West 30th Street heliport in Manhattan about 15 minutes later, completing the first point-to-point flight by an eVTOL in New York City. Didier Papadopoulos, president of aircraft OEM at Joby, told FLYING the demonstration was “in some ways a real life simulation of what we expect to deliver as an end-to-end service.”
It was just a taste of what is to come.
Joby will conduct further demonstrations over the next 10 days, flying from JFK into West 30th Street, the East 34th Street heliport, and Downtown Skyport—all of which are being electrified for future air taxi services. The manufacturer has partnerships with Delta Air Lines and Uber to handle airport transfers, cargo logistics, medical deliveries, and more in major cities across the U.S.
Papadopoulos said the company plans more point-to-point flights throughout the week as it looks to ramp up the cadence.
“A lot of it is about being able to exercise the muscles, so the ability to be able to do this multiple days, multiple times a day,” Papadopoulos said.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), which hosted Monday’s flight, also plans air taxi demonstrations with Joby competitor Archer Aviation this spring.
In a few months, test flights will expand to include electric aircraft from Joby, Archer, Beta Technologies, Boeing’s Wisk Aero, and Electra. The PANYNJ is leading one of eight projects selected by the FAA for the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), a planned three-year campaign of real-world operations with precertified aircraft in 26 states. Those could eventually include passenger flights into airports, potentially for revenue.
Kathryn Garcia, executive director of PANYNJ, said Monday that the agency is seeking partners to design, build, and operate a vertiport—an electrified heliport—at LaGuardia Airport (KLGA). Joby believes its air taxi could turn one- or two-hour commutes from Manhattan or Midtown to JFK into seven-minute flights.
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