Joby Aviation flies electric air taxis in NYC — commercial launch targeted for late 2026

Electric air taxis flew point-to-point routes in New York City for the first time between April 27 and May 5, 2026. Joby Aviation's S4 aircraft connected JFK Airport to Manhattan heliports in under 10 minutes — a trip that can take 45 minutes or more by car. No paying passengers were on board, but the flights mark the closest the US has come to a working urban air taxi network.

The aircraft

The S4 seats one pilot and four passengers, cruises at 200 mph, and carries a range of around 150 miles. Its takeoff noise measures 65 dBA — roughly the level of a two-person conversation — which puts it well below a conventional helicopter. Joby completed FAA Stage 4 certification (airworthiness conformity review) in late March 2026, per Altitudes Magazine. One more stage remains before the FAA issues a full type certificate, and an air carrier certificate is also required before any revenue flights can operate.

Where things stand

The NYC flights ran under the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), which lets Joby demonstrate operations in real airspace — including the demanding Class B airspace over New York — before full certification. Joby Aviation calls the NYC campaign part of its broader 2026 Electric Skies Tour.

Commercial service is now targeted for the second half of 2026, with New York, Texas, and Florida as the first markets. Joby's partnerships with Delta Air Lines and Uber are central to that rollout plan. The original 2025 target slipped, and the FAA has offered no public guarantee on the current timeline — Stage 5 approval could push the date further.

The competition

Rival Archer Aviation is tracking roughly 6–12 months behind Joby on the US certification path. In the UK, Vertical Aerospace has demonstrated its VX4 under the EASA framework, but a confirmed commercial launch date remains absent. For now, Joby holds a clear lead in the race to put fare-paying passengers into an eVTOL in the United States.

The NYC demo does not answer every question — pricing, insurance structures, and real passenger demand are all still unverified. But flying JFK to Manhattan in under 10 minutes, quietly and electrically, is no longer a concept video.