Joby acquires helicopter ride company Blade in $125 million deal 

Joby Aviation announced on August 4, 2025, that it will acquire helicopter operator Blade Air Mobility’s passenger business in a US$125 million deal.  

Besides the value of the deal, this move is significant in terms of business strategy and the opportunities it opens up for the roll out of eVTOL operations in major urban markets. By acquiring Blade, Joby moves one step closer to a vertically integrated model in which it not only manufactures the aircraft but also operates them. Through the Blade acquisition, Joby will also enter into the organ transport business. 

This is not the first time that Joby has made an acquisition in the air ride segment. In 2020, the company paid US$75 million to acquire Uber Elevate, a subsidiary of the popular car riding service which aimed to replicate the model in the urban air mobility segment 

Unlike Uber Elevate, however, Blade has a well-established position in the helicopter ride business. 

Founded in 2014 and publicly listed on Nasdaq since 2021, Blade is a leading operator in its field, with a presence in several major urban markets on both sides of the Atlantic, including its home market, New York City. In 2024, more than 50,000 passengers passed through Blade’s 12 terminals.  

While the development of an electrically powered passenger eVTOL remains the core business of Joby, the Marina, California-based startup has been diversifying its activities through acquisitions and partnerships.  

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In addition to the acquisition of Uber Elevate, Joby quietly acquired German firm H2FLY in 2021 in order to gain access to hydrogen propulsion technology, which can help extend the range of eVTOL aircraft. Then, in 2024, Joby acquired Xwing in order to obtain the latter’s autonomous flight technology.  

More recently, in July 2025, Joby announced a partnership with L3Harris to develop new eVTOL aircraft concepts for defense applications. The post Joby acquires helicopter ride company Blade in $125 million deal  appeared first on AeroTime.

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