Virgin Atlantic is working to bring electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to Heathrow and Manchester Airport through a new partnership with Joby Aviation. When the air taxi launches, Virgin Atlantic customers will have the opportunity to simply book a seat on the aircraft via the airline’s app, website, or other channels.
Joby, a California-based electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer is creating an electric air taxi that can travel at 200 mph. The aircraft will only seat four and one pilot and is designed to offer a fast, sustainable, alternative to ground transportation.
In the announcement, Joby highlighted the difference this could make to a passenger’s airport journey, stating a trip from Manchester Airport to Leeds would take only 15-minutes, or a flight from Heathrow to Canary Wharf could swap an 80 minute drive with an 8-minute trip.
Reinforcing the sustainability prospects of the partnership, Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, said:
“As a leader in sustainability and with innovation firmly in our DNA, we are delighted to be partnering with Joby to bring short-haul, zero-emission flight to airports and cities throughout the UK. 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. We look forward to working together to bring Joby’s service to the UK and to deliver greater connectivity for our customers.”
As part of the agreement, Virgin Atlantic will eventually market this option to their passengers, help grow support from the establishment of landing infrastructure at airports, and work alongside regulators.
This announcement comes as part of Joby’s existing partnership with Delta Air Lines which owns a 49 per cent stake in the UK carrier.
To join us at ATW Europe book your ticket now!
For more like this see:
- European eVTOL developers struggle: Volocopter & Lilium
- Four advanced air mobility (AAM) players to watch this year
- Airbus pauses eVTOL development after battery technology concerns