In a seismic move for the emerging urban air mobility (UAM) industry, electric air taxi developer Joby Aviation on Monday announced it plans to acquire the passenger division of New York City-based helicopter and jet charter operator Blade Air Mobility.
The $125 million purchase nets Joby—which aims to launch a U.S. aerial ridesharing service in partnership with Delta Air Lines and Uber as soon as next year—a key launchpad for its operations.
Blade’s passenger business will retain its branding and operate as a wholly owned subsidiary. But Blade customers now become prime candidates to be the first U.S. passengers to fly on Joby’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi. Joby will take over Blade’s network of 12 terminals—which serviced 50,000 customers in 2024——including several in New York, one of its planned launch markets.
The operator’s medical business, which specializes in aerial organ transport, will remain a separate company under the new name Strata Critical Medical. Joby is getting in on medical too, though, becoming the preferred eVTOL partner for Strata wherever it has operations.
“With access to the infrastructure [Blade has] secured and the loyal customer base they have developed, we will be in the best possible position to launch our quiet, electric aircraft as soon as certification is secured,” JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, said in a statement.
The deal comes just days after Joby announced a collaboration with L3Harris to develop a hybrid-powered, optionally piloted variant of its flagship design for defense applications. It also follows recent efforts by the FAA and White House to prepare a new wave of UAM aircraft for takeoff.
Why Blade Makes Sense for Joby
Joby is developing the S4—a piloted, four-passenger eVTOL intended for short-hop trips, cruising at speeds up to about 200 mph (174 knots). Operations are planned for major U.S. cities, including New York and Los Angeles. Before launching domestically, it plans to fly customers in the United Arab Emirates under what it describes as an exclusive, six-year arrangement with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority.
Blade for years has been interested in adopting eVTOL models, which manufacturers position as a quiet, zero-emission alternative to helicopters. In 2021, the company ordered up to 20 Alia aircraft from Beta Technologies and agreed to purchase flight hours on Embraer subsidiary Eve Air Mobility’s eVTOL. Earlier this year, it partnered with infrastructure provider Skyports to help integrate these aircraft into its operations.
CEO Rob Wiesenthal was even a passenger on Beta’s historic electric aircraft flight into John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK) in June. At that event, Beta founder and CEO Kyle Clark described Blade as a “potential future user.”
In short, Joby offers what Blade needs. But the reverse is also true. Among the greatest challenges facing eVTOL developers are infrastructure, demand, and certification. The acquisition could address all three.
Because it cruises on fixed wings like a plane but lifts off vertically like a helicopter, Joby’s air taxi will require vertiports: electrified takeoff and landing hubs. It has agreements with Atlantic Aviation and Clay Lacy Aviation, for example, to install chargers in their FBO terminals.
Now, though, Joby owns the facilities it is looking to electrify.
Most notably, it will gain access to Blade’s network of terminals and lounges at JFK International, Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR), the Downtown Manhattan Heliport (KJRB), and two other Manhattan sites. Joby in 2023 conducted a demonstration flight out of the heliport and last year displayed its air taxi at Grand Central Terminal.
Blade’s New York operations mainly comprise scheduled helicopter service. But worldwide it offers charter flights with third-party rotorcraft, jets, and seaplanes. Joby said the company’s operations in Southern Europe, in particular, give it a pathway to “immediate market access.”
These assets will net Joby a dedicated customer base with demonstrated demand for short-hop flights. The Strata arrangement, meanwhile, allows it to test the waters for logistics demand.
Joby will further use Blade as an incubator for its ElevateOS software, which is intended to function like Uber’s driver-rider matching platform. The air taxi developer plans to integrate ElevateOS into the company’s operation, giving it a real-world testing ground to refine its own service. It will retain Weisenthal and other personnel with expertise in on-demand scheduling and maintenance.
“This is a strategically important acquisition that will support the successful launch of Joby’s commercial operations in Dubai, our subsequent global rollout and our continued leadership in the sector,” said Bevirt.
Air Taxis on the Horizon
Joby’s acquisition of Blade comes during a momentous period for UAM.
In July, for example, the FAA released long-awaited guidance for the certification of eVTOL and other powered-lift aircraft through an advisory circular (AC), giving developers a blueprint for safe design. The guidance establishes airworthiness standards for aircraft with no more than six passengers, weight of 12,500 pounds or less, and battery-powered electric engines. It leans heavily into performance-based rather than prescriptive design requirements.
The AC’s publication accompanied the FAA’s final Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) rule, which creates a certification pathway for powered-lift in the light-sport category. That means eVTOL developers now have two ways to earn regulatory approval.
The support for UAM extends all the way to the White House. President Donald Trump in June signed an executive order creating the eVTOL integration pilot program (eIPP). The three-year initiative is intended to guide rules for operations in congested airspace, similar to the FAA’s IPP for drones. It will comprise five projects studying applications from cargo transport to medical response.
At the Paris Air Show in June, Archer Aviation CEO Adam Goldstein told FLYING that Archer and its competitors met with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Chris Rocheleau—the acting FAA administrator prior to Bryan Bedford’s confirmation in July—to discuss participation in the eIPP. Goldstein, Bevirt, and executives from Beta and Wisk Aero accompanied Duffy and Rocheleau for an announcement that week.
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