Blade Urban Air Mobility, a division of Joby Aviation, has announced a pilot programme that will offer weekday commuter flights connecting Manhattan and Westchester County Airport.
The commuter service will serve residents of key suburbs of New York City, including Greenwich, Scarsdale, Rye, and Bedford, and will shorten rush-hour commutes from over 90 minutes to 12 minutes.
Beginning on December 1, 2025, Blade will operate daily weekday flights morning and evening between Westchester and NYC.
Ticket prices will range from $125 per passenger (available to Blade Commuter Pass holders) to $225.
The pilot will begin using helicopters, but will transition to Joby’s zero-emission electric air taxi following FAA certification.
Rob Wiesenthal, CEO of Blade, said the pilot is launching in response to new congestion records in NYC, which are now exceeding pre-pandemic levels, as office-based companies return to five-day working weeks.
The pilot is expected to provide valuable insights into operational logistics and flier experience, helping to accelerate and de-risk Joby’s commercialisation efforts.
“While Blade has proven the viability of airport routes in the US and Europe, commuter routes will become even more important as new landing zones, exclusive to electric aircraft, become available,” said Wiesenthal.
A preview of the service will be available on Black Friday, November 28, which will be hosted by The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards mall.
Also this week, Joby announced that it has signed an agreement to sell up $250 million of aircraft and services to a client in Kazakhstan.
The agreement with Alatau Advance Air Group aims to establish Kazakhstan’s first air taxi service.
The deal includes pre-delivery payments, and is being supported by a parallel memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Joby and Kazakhstan’s Ministry of AI and Digital Development.
The Ministry said it has committed to developing the regulatory and infrastructural framework required to establish air taxi services.
Last month, as covered by Airline Economics, Joby completed an underwritten equity offering, which raised $576 million in net proceeds.
The funds are expected to be used to support certification and manufacturing efforts, prepare for commercial operations, and provide general working capital and other corporate purposes.
Joby ended the third quarter with $978 million in available liquidity.