<div id="readability-page-1"><figure> <img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Image-1.jpg/query-Y3JvcD0wLDAsMTAwLDEwMCZxdWFsaXR5PTkwJnN0cmlwPWFsbA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="1200" height="633" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/Image-1.jpg/query-Y3JvcD0wLDAsMTAwLDEwMCZxdWFsaXR5PTkwJnN0cmlwPWFsbA"/> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> Last month, Joby Aviation purchased Blade Air Mobility’s helicopter taxi business for $125 million, with the goal of eventually replacing those noisy, polluting helicopters with its more quiet, battery-powered air taxis. But while it waits for FAA certification, Joby is teaming up with Uber to get more passengers in its newly acquired fleet of helicopters. Joby announced today that Uber customers will soon be able to reserve a helicopter ride on the ridehailing company’s app. The integration will launch “as soon as next year,” at which point Uber customers will be able to book helicopter trips from any of Blade’s Manhattan-based landing pads to a short list of destinations, including JFK and Newark airports as well as the Hamptons. Blade also serves several locales along the French Riviera, including Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Nice, and Monaco. <figure><blockquote>The integration will launch “as soon as next year”</blockquote></figure> Blade, which formed in 2014, has a robust helicopter transportation business, having flown more than 50,000 passengers in New York and Souther Europe in 2024. But some experts believe that helicopters could become obsolete as more electric vertical takeoff landing (eVTOL) aircraft are given clearance to fly. Joby, meanwhile, bought itself a leg up over its competitors by acquiring a company with established routes, customers, and infrastructure. And now, through this Uber partnership, the company will be able to introduce an influential swath of the ridehailing company’s customer base to “the magic of seamless urban air travel,” said JoeBen Bevirt, CEO of Joby, in a statement. Joby is in the process of acquiring FAA certification for its eVTOL aircraft, which looks like an oversized drone and can carry up to four passengers. The vehicle can take off vertically, like a helicopter, and then shift into forward flight using tilt rotors. Joby says it can reach a top speed of 200mph, travel 100 miles on a single battery charge, and is 100 times quieter than a conventional aircraft. Its pouch-style lithium-ion batteries can power the craft’s six electric motors for at least 10,000 flight cycles. The company has been working with Uber for a while, first linking up in 2019, and then eventually acquiring the ridehailing company’s Elevate air taxi division in 2020. Joby plans on launching its first commercial service in Dubai in 2026, and has announced plans to operate in New York, Los Angeles, Florida, the UK, and Japan.</div>

JOBY

BLDE

Joby Aviation 以 1.25 亿美元收购了 Blade Air Mobility 的直升机出租业务，并与 Uber 合作，允许客户从明年开始通过 Uber 应用程序预订直升机乘坐。这一整合将连接 Blade 在曼哈顿的着陆点与 JFK 和纽瓦克等主要目的地。Joby 还在为其电动垂直起降（eVTOL）飞机申请 FAA 认证，该飞机可搭载四名乘客，设计上比传统直升机更安静、更高效。Joby 计划在 2026 年前在迪拜推出商业服务，并扩展到其他主要城市

Blade 的空中出租车将会在 Uber 应用程序上推出