Joby Aviation this week firmed up plans to use a Kearny, New Jersey heliport as an operating base for eVTOL air taxi services in the New York City area. On Tuesday, the manufacturer announced an agreement with the facility’s owner and operator, Helo Holdings, Inc. (HHI), to install Joby’s Global Electric Aviation Charging System (GEACS) at the site, which is a two-minute flight to Manhattan’s downtown helipads or a nine-mile drive to Wall Street via the Lincoln Tunnel.
The partnership with HHI is part of Joby’s efforts to prepare to launch commercial services with its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft from 2025 with Delta Air Lines in locations including New York and Los Angeles. In November 2023, HHI provided Joby with a temporary base for flight demonstrations in New York City, which also involved rival manufacturers Archer and Volocopter.
The Kearny heliport, which opened in 2011, offers 27 parking spaces for helicopters, with HHI planning to expand this to 32. The facility provides ground services as well as hangar space for maintenance operations to helicopters and is now expected to have the first electric aircraft recharging system in the New York City tri-state area.
“We continue to expand our footprint in Kearny in support of one of the busiest low-altitude corridors in the world, and we’re thrilled to partner with Joby, one of the leading developers of electric air taxis, to bring the next wave of quiet aircraft to residents of the tri-state area,” said HHI founder and CEO Jeff Hyman.
Joby recently announced an agreement with FBO group Clay Lacy Aviation to install the GEACS infrastructure at John Wayne Airport in the Los Angeles suburbs. The equipment is already being used to recharge Joby’s aircraft for flight testing at its Marina, California base and also at the Edwards Air Force Base where the U.S. Air Force is evaluating the aircraft for military applications.
The Joby aircraft is expected to mainly operate on short, fast-turnaround flights, with a single-charge range of around 100 miles. The company aims to complete FAA type certification by the end of this year.
Delta and Joby have been jointly working with the Port Authority of New York and the New York City Economic Development Corporation to plan initial air taxi services. This work includes preparations to provide infrastructure for eVTOL aircraft at the city’s John F. Kennedy and La Guardia airports.
Charter flight provider Blade also plans to operate in the New York City area and has conducted demonstration flights with Beta Technologies' Alia model. FBO group Atlantic Aviation is working with Joby and Archer to establish recharging infrastructure at some of its U.S. facilities, including those in the New York and Los Angeles areas.
