Joby Plans Air-Taxi Service in New York, Florida and Texas — Starting With Blade’s $249 Helicopter Runs

Joby Aviation plans to launch commercial eVTOL service in New York City, Florida and Texas as its initial markets under the federal eVTOL Integrated Pilot Program (EIPP), with flying operations planned for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the company’s Chief Policy Officer Greg Bowles said in an interview reported on November 6. The company entered formal FAA certification in 2018 and is now approaching type certification for its six-propeller electric aircraft.

Florida was selected as one of the first EIPP states, and Joby marked the milestone last week by recreating the world’s first commercial flight — the 1914 St. Petersburg-to-Tampa route — using its own aircraft. The vehicle currently in testing targets routes up to 100 miles.

The commercial on-ramp is unusually concrete. Routes such as JFK to Manhattan — currently served by Blade Air Mobility, which Joby acquired — take roughly seven minutes and are priced from $249. Joby said it plans to begin replacing Blade’s existing helicopter trips with Joby aircraft in the coming year, which means its first paying passengers will be people already buying a seven-minute hop across New York.

Bowles expressed confidence that broad public access to Joby’s service will come well before 2035, though he stopped short of a firm date. The binding constraint, he said, is now manufacturing scale — not certification or airspace — to expand service beyond high-density urban corridors. Under the EIPP executive order, Joby is permitted to conduct limited commercial operations in key states ahead of full type certification.