Air taxi developers are moving closer to starting passenger flights in select U.S. and international cities. They may get a boost from President-elect Donald Trump, who said in a video last year, “I want to ensure that America, not China, leads this revolution in air mobility.”
During separate investor calls this month, Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation CEOs outlined plans to introduce electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, with backing from global automakers Stellantis and Toyota.
Joby Aviation, which flew its eVTOL aircraft in a demonstration flight from New York City’s downtown Manhattan heliport last year, hosted aviation regulators at its manufacturing and flight testing facility in Marina, California, in late October.
The public recently had a chance to see Joby’s air taxi on display in California at the Santa Monica Airport and The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles and at New York City's Grand Central Terminal, the company’s founder and CEO, JoeBen Bevirt, said on a Nov. 6 earnings call. Bevirt added that Atlantic Aviation, which provides ground-based aircraft services, is starting work to electrify the East 34th Street Heliport in Manhattan. The heliport, situated along the East River waterfront, will serve both Joby and Archer Aviation operations, according to an Atlantic Aviation press release.
Archer Aviation Founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said on a Nov. 7 earnings call that the company’s initial 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, backed by strong, top-down government support and the regulatory commitment required to make this vision a reality,” Goldstein said.
Archer previously announced plans for an urban air mobility network serving the San Francisco Bay Area and a network of air taxis in Southern California as soon as 2026 when the FIFA World Cup comes to Los Angeles. The city will also host the Super Bowl in 2027 and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“As we move towards commercialization in each priority market, we'll work closely with our key public and private partners to collaboratively teach and learn eVTOL operations,” Goldstein said on the call. “By deploying aircraft in these early operations, we can gather essential insights and operational experience to scale responsibly. This measured approach allows us to refine our processes while fostering strong foundational relationships with the communities we plan to serve.”
Archer also plans to launch air taxis in the United Arab Emirates and entered a joint partnership with Japan Airlines and Sumitomo Corp. to provide aircraft to serve cities in Japan. Joby conducted a test flight recently from Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji Technical Center in Shizuoka, Japan. Toyota has been supporting 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 has also invested in Archer Aviation.
