Joby Aviation's production prototype eVTOL aircraft completed the first electric air taxi flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Manhattan's West 30th Street heliport on Monday, covering the 20-mile route in approximately 15 minutes. This marked the first time an electric air taxi departed one of New York City's three major airports and the first point-to-point eVTOL flight in the city.

The demonstration kicks off a 10-day series of flights between JFK, East 34th Street heliport, and Downtown Skyport—all being electrified for future air taxi services. Joby has partnerships with Delta Air Lines and Uber for airport transfers, cargo logistics, and medical deliveries. Didier Papadopoulos, president of aircraft OEM at Joby, called the flight "a real life simulation of what we expect to deliver as an end-to-end service."

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which hosted Monday's flight, plans air taxi demonstrations with competitor Archer Aviation this spring. New York, Los Angeles, and Miami are candidates to be the first U.S. cities to launch routine electric air taxi flights. The FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program involves eight projects over three years in 26 states.

Joby's aircraft can carry four passengers at 200 mph with low noise levels thanks to its six tilting propellers. The test aircraft has logged over 50,000 miles across approximately 2,600 flights, including operations at Dubai Airshow and Japan's World Expo 2025.