[title]
The future of flying over gridlock just got a lot closer—and quieter.
Electric air taxi company Joby Aviation has announced plans to acquire the passenger business of Blade Air Mobility for up to $125 million, per the New York Times, in a move that could fast-track the arrival of battery-powered flights across New York City and beyond. If you've seen one of Blade’s sleek black helicopters darting between Manhattan and JFK, you’ve seen the kind of infrastructure Joby is about to inherit—only the propellers are about to get a lot quieter.
RECOMMENDED: Apparently, there is a NYC air taxi service in the works that will take you to the airport in five minutes
Joby’s aircraft, which resemble a hybrid between a helicopter and a small plane, take off vertically using six electric propellers before transitioning into forward flight. They’re designed to carry four passengers and a pilot up to 100 miles on a single charge, perfect for quick jumps from Manhattan to the Hamptons or from Newark to JFK.
But this isn’t just about tech. The deal gives Joby a crucial advantage: access to Blade’s existing customer base, routes and lounge-equipped terminals, including locations at JFK, Newark and several heliports across Manhattan. With FAA certification expected as early as 2026, the acquisition helps Joby move from prototype to passenger-ready without having to build a network from scratch.
Joby’s founder and CEO, JoeBen Bevirt, called Blade’s infrastructure a “launchpad” for scaling up commercial service. For Blade, which has operated more like a booking platform than a traditional airline—it owns just 15-percent of its helicopter fleet—the sale reflects a long-term bet on going electric.
Blade will keep its medical transport business, which will spin off into a new publicly traded company called Strata Critical Medical, while its CEO, Rob Wiesenthal, will stay on to lead the passenger division under Joby’s umbrella.
Blade-branded flights will still be available, but over time, the helicopters will be swapped out for quieter, cleaner electric aircraft. That means less rotor noise over SoHo, fewer emissions over Brooklyn and, eventually, cheaper trips through the air.
For now, it’s business as usual. But in just a few years, flying taxis in New York may be less sci-fi and more like summoning an Uber, just one that lifts off from a rooftop.