Travellers flying Delta Air Lines will soon have access to electric aircraft taxis that would transport them to and from airports.
The faster, more efficient way of getting to the airport will be available to customers through the airline’s new partnership with Joby Aviation, which will allow passengers to book seats on its electric aircrafts.
According to a Delta press release announcing the partnership, the service will be available in New York and Los Angeles within the next few years.
“Delta has made an upfront equity investment of $60m in Joby, with the opportunity to expand the total investment up to $200m as the partners achieve substantive milestones on the development and delivery of the service,” the company said.
In a statement from Delta CEO Ed Bastian, he said the partnership is the airline’s latest opportunity to “lead the future,” while noting that Joby offers a “time-saving, uniquely premium home-to-airport solution”.
“Delta always looks forward and embraces opportunities to lead the future, and we’ve found in Joby a partner that shares our pioneering spirit and commitment to delivering innovative, seamless experiences that are better for our customers, their journeys, and our world,” Bastian said. “This is a groundbreaking opportunity for Delta to deliver a time-saving, uniquely premium home-to-airport solution for customers in key markets we’ve been investing and innovating in for many years.”
Per Delta, the option to reserve a seat on the zero-operating-emission electric aircrafts for the short-range journeys will be available when booking travel with Delta through New York and Los Angeles.
The new airport transportation option comes after Joby became the first eVTOL (electric vertical take-off-and-landing) company to be granted a G-1 (Stage 4) Certification Basis for its aircraft by the FAA, following more than 1,000 test flights. It also recently received its Part 135 Air Carrier Certification.
Following the commercial launch, the partnership will be “mutually exclusive across the US and UK for five years,” according to Delta, which notes that there will be “potential to extend that period”.
