Flying taxi rides are getting closer to reality.
Virgin Atlantic and Joby announced a deal at the Farnborough Air Show on Wednesday to bring Joby's air taxis to the UK.
It means that after a transatlantic flight, you could travel from London Heathrow Airport to central London in as little as 8 minutes — a route that typically takes over an hour by car.
The agreement with Virgin Atlantic means airline customers could book an air taxi ride through the airline's app or website.
Bonny Simi, Joby's president of operations, told Business Insider that the cost of a seat on one of its air taxis would be "very equivalent" to Uber.
Heathrow to central London would cost somewhere between $130 and $160, she said. By contrast, an Uber Black for the same journey is around $130, while a London Black Cab would be up to $160.
The air-taxi service is also planned to launch at Manchester Airport, another Virgin hub. Joby said it expects early routes to include an air taxi to Leeds, about 40 miles away, which would take about 15 minutes.
"Together, we'll create more seamless journeys for our customers, making it easier than ever to travel between towns, cities, and our airports," said Virgin Atlantic CEO Corneel Koster.
Joby first partnered with Virgin last year, but Wednesday's agreement gives more insight into how the tie-up will work.
It builds on a similar agreement with Delta Air Lines, which has a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic.
Air taxis, also known as electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft (eVTOLs), operate similarly to helicopters but produce much less noise. This means they could operate over cities without annoying residents, opening up the possibility of myriad new routes.
Joby's aircraft uses six tilting propellers and is expected to be deployed on routes of up to 100 miles.
The company demonstrated its service in New York three months ago, flying from JFK Airport to Midtown Manhattan in under 10 minutes.
Rob Wiesenthal, the CEO of Blade — which sold its passenger transport business to Joby last year — previously told Business Insider he expects the air-taxi service to be running in New York by the end of this year.
The UK's Civil Aviation Authority is targeting having eVTOLs certified to carry passengers commercially from the end of 2028.
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Pete Syme is an aviation reporter for Business Insider, based in London.He writes about all things related to the industry, such as flight diversions, aviation safety, airline updates, travel tips, plane tours, and aviation leaders.Pete has appeared on BBC News to discuss a Heathrow Airport closure and on Sky News to talk about Boeing.Before joining Business Insider in 2022, he graduated with an MA in Newspaper Journalism from City, University of London. While getting his BA in English from the University of Exeter, he was the award-winning deputy editor of the student newspaper, Exeposé.You can get in touch by emailing [email protected] or via Signal @syme.99.
