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We have officially entered the future and, apparently, it flies straight from JFK to midtown in under 10 minutes.
This week, New Yorkers may spot something unusual buzzing over Manhattan’s skyline: electric “air taxis” are quietly zipping between city heliports and airports as part of a first-of-its-kind public flight campaign from California-based aviation company Joby Aviation. And unlike the helicopters you’re used to hearing over the Hudson, these aircraft are designed to be dramatically quieter and completely electric.
The company announced Monday that it has completed New York City’s first-ever point-to-point electric vertical takeoff and landing demonstration flights, launching a week-long showcase across the city’s existing heliport network.
The Jetsons-like aircraft have already flown between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Manhattan heliports, including Downtown Skyport, the West 30th Street Heliport and the East 34th Street Heliport. Those routes are expected to form the backbone of a future commercial air taxi network connecting the city to regional airports.
“New York has always been a city that defines the future by demanding better,” said JoeBen Bevirt in a statement from the company. “We first flew here in 2023 and now we’re showing what the next chapter looks like: a quiet, zero operating emissions air taxi service designed to better serve New Yorkers.”
The whole thing is part of the federal government’s new eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, which is essentially a fancy way of saying the U.S. is actively testing how flying electric rideshares could work in real cities. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey partnered with Joby to make the flights happen, while the New York City Economic Development Corporation has already begun upgrading city heliports with charging infrastructure ahead of potential commercial rollout.
And the dream here is obvious: replacing soul-crushing JFK traffic with a quick flight over the East River. “In a city where a typical commuter lost, by one estimate, 102 hours to traffic congestion in 2025,” the company said, its goal is to “transform a 60-to-120-minute drive to JFK into a seven-minute flight.”
The aircraft itself looks a little like a futuristic helicopter crossed with a giant drone, carrying a pilot and four passengers. According to Joby, it produces no operating emissions and a far smaller noise footprint than traditional helicopters, which is important in a city where residents have spent years battling noisy sightseeing flights overhead.
There’s no word yet on exactly when regular New Yorkers will be able to summon one through an app like an airborne Uber. But for the next few days, if you glance up and see a suspiciously sleek aircraft floating over Manhattan, you’re not hallucinating.