Joby and Virgin Atlantic announced eVTOL taxi partnership
The companies state their intention is to launch a fully operational air taxi service in the UK, building on an existing agreement between Joby and Virgin stakeholder Delta Air Lines.
Initially, the partnership hopes to offer regional and city air taxi connections from Heathrow and Manchester Airport, where Virgin Atlantic has a number of hubs. Joby’s fully electric eVTOL would carry as many as four passengers at speeds of up to 200mph, with Virgin Atlantic customers able to reserve a seat on the aircraft through the company’s ticketing platforms.
Virgin Atlantic hopes to use its position as an airline to engage regulators with Joby’s aircraft and lobby for support to build landing infrastructure at key airports across the UK.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Joby to bring short-haul, zero-emission flight to airports and cities throughout the UK,” said Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic. “Our strategic partnership combines Joby’s expertise in design, engineering and technology with the power of Virgin Atlantic’s brand and award-winning customer experience.”
Joby says that its goal is to build a network of landing locations around the UK that could offer rapid travel at a price ‘comparable’ to existing premium rideshare options. It states it could offer, for example, an 8-minute journey from Heathrow Airport to Canary Wharf, which currently takes up to 80 minutes by car. All of this would be achieved along set routes of up to 100 miles.
The Virgin partnership sits alongside a Delta Air Lines partnership with Joby, which seeks to offer similar services at locations across the US.
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