Uber said it would add Blade helicopter rides to its app in 2026 through a new phase of its partnership with Joby Aviation, a step the company framed as progress toward a super app that offers multiple modes of transportation. Uber and Joby also said they planned to bring helicopter services to the platform as soon as next year, with booking details to come closer to launch.
In New York, Uber users near the city would gain options that include John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and the Hamptons, using Blade’s existing network of heliports, some with private waiting lounges, The Verge reported. Uber said customers would be able to book helicopter trips from Blade’s Manhattan pads to those destinations starting next year, with prices averaging about $195 per trip. The companies did not announce pricing for flights booked through the Uber app or say where the service would debut first.
“By leveraging the scale of the Uber platform and partnering with Joby, the industry leader, we are excited to bring our customers the next generation of travel,” said Andrew Macdonald, Uber’s president and operating chief. “Since Uber’s earliest days, we’ve believed in the power of advanced air mobility to deliver safe, quiet, and sustainable transportation to cities around the world,” he added.
Blade runs helicopter and seaplane passenger services and maintains hubs that link airports to city centers and leisure destinations in New York and southern Europe. Along the French Riviera, Blade serves Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Nice, and Monaco.
New York would serve as a test case for expansion into other markets, subject to regulatory approvals. Uber cast the integration as part of its broader super app ambition, where users could book options ranging from a sedan to a two-wheeler, shuttle, driverless car, or helicopter.
The plan followed Joby Aviation’s purchase last month of Blade Air Mobility’s helicopter taxi business for $125 million, a deal that brought routes, customers, and infrastructure and excluded Blade’s medical organ transplant division, TechCrunch reported. The transaction included all of Blade’s passenger operations in the United States and Europe, plus the Blade brand. While it awaits Federal Aviation Administration certification for its electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, Joby teamed with Uber to boost passenger numbers in its newly acquired helicopter fleet, with Blade’s experience seen as key to operations from day one.
Joby said it intended to electrify Blade’s routes over time, starting in New York and later in Los Angeles, Dubai, London, and Tokyo. The company planned to launch its first commercial passenger service in Dubai in early 2026.
“Integrating Blade into the Uber app is the natural next step in our global partnership with Uber and will lay the foundation for the introduction of our quiet, zero-emissions aircraft in the years ahead,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation. “Through the partnership with Uber, Joby Aviation will introduce a significant portion of Uber’s customer base to the magic of seamless urban air travel,” he said.
Joby’s eVTOL aircraft can reach a top speed of 200 mph, travel 100 miles on one battery charge, and carry four passengers and a pilot. The aircraft take off vertically like a helicopter and transition to forward flight using tilt rotors; they were designed to be 100 times quieter than conventional helicopters, with an acoustic footprint 100 times smaller. Joby was seeking FAA certification for its eVTOL, and regulatory approval remained a challenge for the industry; once certified, rides would transition to all-electric, zero-emission aircraft.
Supporters argued air taxi technology could reduce traffic congestion and emissions, and the promise of shorter travel times in crowded cities appealed to professionals and executives. Uber owned about 2.5% of Joby, which went public via a SPAC merger in 2021, raised hundreds of millions of dollars, and counted Toyota among its backers. Blade’s helicopters previously appeared on Uber’s platform in limited promotional offerings.
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