Blade Air Mobility CEO Rob Weisenthal anticipates a better political atmosphere for helicopter and eVTOL passenger service in the New York City area following the installation of Gotham’s new mayor, Eric Adams. Weisenthal told AIN that he had discussions with Adams and believes that the mayor “is pro-business, wants City 2.0 to be a reality, and understands the infrastructure that Blade has in the city is critical to the transition toward using electric vertical aircraft [EVA].”
According to Weisenthal, Adams “wants us to be that business and wants us to improve the attractiveness of Manhattan. He is enthusiastic about our transition to EVA and supportive of our business overall.”
He further noted that New York City’s infamous ground traffic snarl “is now above pre-pandemic levels,” so the need for increased passenger helicopter service is greater than ever. Weisenthal said Blade’s goal is to bring the cost of service in line with what Uber charges for ground transportation.
“Twenty-eight million people go between Manhattan and the [area] airports by car," according to Weisenthal. "There is a huge market for flying people [instead], substituting a five-minute flight for $95 or $195 [per seat] for a two-hour drive, shattering the Uber Black price barrier and matching UberX during peak times. We see a tremendous amount of growth [potential] between where we are and the market size."