Uber will add Blade helicopters to its platform as early as 2026

Uber users who live near New York or southern Europe can have a new travel option to choose from 2026: helicopters.

Joby Aviation’s electric air starting air boot announced on Wednesday that Blade Air Mobility helicopters will be in the Uber app starting “just next year”. While Joby does not specifically say where the blade helicopters will be available to start, the company told TechCrunch that they will probably appear on the “most popular routes” as and from the airports.

The news comes just a month after Joby’s Joby passenger business for $ 125 million. (The Blade Medical Department, which helps to move live organs, remained a separate company.)

Uber and Joby charge this as one step to finally start Joby’s air taxis on the Ride-Hail network. But this is still a way away. Joby plans to launch her first trading service in 2026 in Dubai, with other markets – including the US – to follow.

All three companies involved in the announcement have existing relationships.

Blade was acquired by Joby last month and her helicopters were on the Uber platform before, though only on limited advertising bids.

Joby, meanwhile, acquired Uber’s “Elevate” Air Taxi Division in 2020, which gave the launch a boost to its plans to build vertical take -off and landing vehicles (EVTOL). This helped Joby promote the lead of the big package of newly formed Evtol businesses. The start was publicly merged with a special purpose acquisition company in 2021 and increased hundreds of millions of dollars since then, with support from large companies such as Toyota. Uber today holds about 2.5% of Joby.

Joby has survived, but he cannot be said for some of his competitors. Companies such as Germany Volocopter and Lilium have come out of the business, while the supernal Hyundai is going through its own races right now, having recently stopped the aircraft program.