Topline
Uber will offer helicopter and seaplane rides on its app next year, the company said, partnering with Joby Aviation—a month after the vertical aviation company purchased air taxi service Blade for $125 million.
Joby Aviation acquired Blade for $125 million in August.
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Key Facts
Uber users will be able to book Blade helicopters and seaplanes on “as soon as next year,” the companies said in a statement, but did not name a specific month.
Blade offers rides from destinations around the New York City area, including Newark International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and the Hamptons through its own app, but the new partnership will make the service available to existing Uber users.
Joby purchased Blade in August for $125 million, and plans to use the helicopter service to launch its own air taxi service.
Key Background
Joby Aviation went public through a SPAC deal in 2021, and its share price rose 5.4% after markets opened on Wednesday. Uber is one of the company’s primary backers, investing $75 million in the company in 2020 on top of an earlier $50 million investment as part of the company’s Series C financing round. Joby also took over Uber’s own air taxi division, Uber Elevate, in a 2020 deal. Joby’s other major backers include Toyota, who invested over $500 million in the company in 2024.
What To Watch For
Joby said it planned to use Blade’s “existing infrastructure and decade of experience delivering vertical air travel at scale” to help launch its own air taxi service of futuristic helicopters-like aircraft known as eVTOL, or electric vertical take-off and landing. The company plans to launch air taxi services across the globe, including Dubai, New York, Los Angeles, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Joby’s air taxis can carry four passengers and a pilot at speeds up to 200 miles per hour, the company said on Wednesday,
Surprising Fact
Blade, which also operates in southern European locations including Nice, Monaco, and Cannes, flew over 50,000 passengers in 2024, according to the company. However, the majority of the company’s revenue wasn’t generated by its passenger air service. Instead, about 60% was generated by its medical service, which transports organs for transplants, the company said in SEC filings. This division was not purchased by Joby—instead, it remained a public company rebranded as Strata Critical Medical.