Air taxi developers are conducting demo flights and naming the first cities they would like to fly to

Air taxi developers are conducting demo flights and naming the first cities they would like to fly to

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Air taxi developers are moving closer to launching passenger flights in select U.S. and international cities. They could get a boost from President-elect Donald Trump, who said in a video last year: “I want to make sure America, not China, leads this revolution in air mobility.”

In separate investor calls this month, the CEOs of Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation outlined plans to introduce electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with support from global automakers Stellantis and Toyota.

Joby Aviation, which flew its eVTOL aircraft in a demonstration flight from the Downtown Manhattan helipad in New York City last year, hosted aviation regulators at its production and flight test facility in Marina, California, in late October.

The public recently had a chance to see Joby’s air taxi in California at Santa Monica Airport and The Grove mall in Los Angeles, as well as Grand Central Terminal in New York City, the company’s founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said at a news conference in November . 6 Results call. Bevirt added that Atlantic Aviation, which provides ground-based aviation services, is beginning electrification of the East 34th Street Heliport in Manhattan. According to a news release from Atlantic Aviation, the helipad on the banks of the East River will serve both Joby and Archer Aviation operations.

Archer Aviation founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said in a Nov. 7 conference call that the company’s first U.S. markets will be New York City, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Miami. “Our commercialization strategy is focused on markets where we can deploy hundreds of aircraft over time, supported by strong government support from above and the regulatory commitment needed to make this vision a reality,” Goldstein said.

Archer already announced plans for an urban air mobility network for the San Francisco Bay Area and an air taxi network in Southern California once the FIFA World Cup takes place in Los Angeles in 2026. The city will also host the Super Bowl in 2027 and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

“As we move toward commercialization in each priority market, we will work closely with our key public and private partners to jointly teach and learn how to operate eVTOL,” Goldstein said on the call. “By using aircraft in these early missions, we can gain important insights and operational experience to scale responsibly. This measured approach allows us to refine our processes while maintaining strong foundational relationships with the communities we seek to serve.”

Archer also plans to launch air taxis in the United Arab Emirates and is in joint partnership with Japan Airlines and Sumitomo Corp. entered into to provide aircraft for cities in Japan. Joby recently conducted a test flight from the Toyota Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Shizuoka, Japan. Toyota has supported Joby since 2019 and announced an additional $500 million investment in the air taxi developer in October.

Goldstein said Archer’s manufacturing facility in Covington, Georgia, will open in the coming weeks. The 350,000-square-foot factory is a partnership with Stellantis, which also invested in Archer Aviation.

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