Virgin Atlantic is poised to introduce flying taxis to the UK As confirmed, it has been established.
Sir Richard Branson His firm has inked an agreement with Joby Aviation, a flying taxi company, to provide "effortless, emission-free, short-distance trips" throughout the UK.
The initial flights are anticipated to operate out of Virgin Atlantic's hub airports. Heathrow and Manchester Airports , where a trip from the London airport to Canary Wharf takes merely eight minutes, as opposed to 80 minutes by car.
In another part, a trip from Manchester Airport to Leeds is expected to take around 15 minutes.
Joby's electric air taxi is built to accommodate a pilot along with as many as four passengers, reaching velocities of up to 200 mph. Passengers can secure their seats via Virgin Atlantic’s application, webpage, and various other platforms.
The California company utilises six tilting propellers that allow the taxi to take off and land vertically with just “a fraction of the noise” produced by today’s helicopters.
The aircraft is optimised for rapid, back-to-back flights and is expected to be deployed on routes of up to 100 miles.
The company plans to build a series of landing locations, known as “vertiports”, across the UK to accommodate the innovative mode of transport.
Joby has completed thousands of test flights, including exhibition flights in New York City , Japan and Korea.
Prices are expected to be “comparable with existing premium ground ridesharing options at launch”.
The new partnership builds on an existing agreement between Joby and Delta Air Lines – which owns a 49 per cent stake in Virgin Atlantic – to launch services in both the UK and the US.
A launch date has not yet been confirmed for the flying taxis to take to the air in the UK, meaning business travellers will need to contend with rail and road travel in the meantime.
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 flights to airports and cities throughout the UK.”
In 2024, a government plan suggested that the UK could see the first flying taxis take to the skies as early as 2026.
The proposals form part of the Department of Transport’s (DoT) Future of Flight Action Plan, which states that flying taxis could become a reality before the end of the decade.
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