Uber will add Blade helicopters to its platform in 2026

Uber users living near New York City or southern Europe may have a new travel option to choose from helicopters in 2026.

Electric Air Taxi Startup Joby Aviation announced Wednesday that Blade Air Mobility Helicopters will be appearing on the Uber app, which begins “soon next year.” Joby isn’t specifically about where blade helicopters can start, but the company told TechCrunch it is likely to appear on “most popular routes” like airports.

The news comes just a month after Joby acquired Blade’s passenger business for up to $125 million. (Blade’s medical unit, which helps move live organs, remained a different company.)

Uber and Joby are ultimately charging this as a step towards launching Joby’s air taxis on their ride network. But it’s still far away. Joby is set to launch its first commercial service in Dubai in 2026, with other markets, including the US, to follow suit.

All three companies involved in the announcement have existing relationships.

Blade was acquired by Joby last month, and although its helicopter was actually on Uber’s platform before, it was limited to a limited number of promotional products.

Meanwhile, Joby acquired Uber’s “Elevate” Air Taxi Division in 2020. This has helped startups to build plans to build electric vertical takeoff and landing (EVTOL) vehicles. It helped Joby push to the big pack lead of Evtol’s startup. The startup was made public in 2021 by merging with a special purpose acquisition company, and has since raised hundreds of millions of dollars and has supported its large companies like Toyota. Uber currently owns around 2.5% of Joby.

Joby survives, but the same cannot be said for some of its competitors. While German companies such as Borocopter and Lilium have gone out of business, the modern-owned Supernal is now experiencing its own struggles, suspending its aircraft program.