Uber will allow helicopter ride bookings from its app. When will this start?

Uber confirmed that starting in 2026, users will be able to request helicopter rides directly from its app, thanks to a partnership with Joby Aviation, a manufacturer of electric air taxis. The service will be available in the world's most populated cities and will include airport connections among its main routes. The integration will be possible following Joby's US$125 million acquisition of Blade Air Mobility.

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The alliance with Joby Aviation and Blade

The business relationship between Uber and Joby Aviation dates back to 2019, when they launched a joint project to develop air taxis. A year later, Uber sold its Elevate division to Joby, consolidating the two companies' cooperation to promote this type of transportation.

Blade Air Mobility, recently acquired by Joby, carried 50,000 passengers in the New York metropolitan area and southern Europe in 2024. According to data published on its website, fares were around US$195 one-way between Manhattan and John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports. Until now, Blade's fleet consisted of jet turbine helicopters, although the company plans to replace them with electric eVTOL aircraft.

Joby anticipated that integration into the Uber app will be the starting point for offering "quiet, emission-free aircraft" in the coming years. JoeBen Bevirt, the company's founder and CEO, stated in a statement that "the next natural step is for users to be able to book air travel directly from the app."

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For his part, Andrew Macdonald, president and chief operating officer of Uber, noted that the collaboration will take customers to the “next generation of transportation” and that more details about reservations will be revealed closer to the launch date.

Aircraft technology and design

Uber describes distributed electric propulsion (DEP) as the technological foundation for future air travel on its platform. This system allows aircraft to have multiple electric rotors, providing redundancy in case of failures and increasing safety. It also enables operation up to 100 times quieter than conventional helicopters and reduces maintenance costs. The combination of DEP with lightweight composite materials, high-performance batteries, and advanced automation systems makes the operation of eVTOL aircraft viable in dense urban environments. These vehicles will be certified by the appropriate aviation authorities and designed with redundancy in propellers, motors, electronics, and batteries. Uber's engineering team, led by Mark Moore, a former NASA engineer, developed common reference models for eVTOLs known as eCRMs. These prototypes set specifications such as a cruising speed of 240 km/h (150 mph), a range of 96 km (60 mi), standard operation of 40 km (25 mi) journeys in three hours, and capacity for one pilot and four passengers. The cabin design was carried out in collaboration with Safran Cabin, with an emphasis on the experience of shared flight users.

The company envisions eVTOLs facilitating mobility between urban centers, overcoming the limitations of fixed routes inherent in land transportation. By moving from point to point without relying on roads or rail lines, these vehicles can improve the resilience of urban systems to incidents or roadworks.

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Regulatory challenges and next steps

Although Uber and Joby have already outlined the main lines of the project, the launch depends on approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States and other international authorities. Certification of eVTOL aircraft involves validating not only safety and design aspects, but also integration with urban infrastructure. Plans call for Blade flights to begin being available on the Uber app starting next year as part of the initial integration phase. This will give users a first taste of this type of transportation before the electric eVTOL models go live. PAULA GALEANO BALAGUERA

Portfolio Journalist