16 October 2022 || 4 min read

Delta has announced a massive $60m USD upfront equity investment in Joby with a total investment opportunity for $200 million as the airline hopes to be the first to offer eVTOL services for its passengers.

Above: Joby CEO, JoeBen Bevirt and Delta CEO, Ed Bastian

In a press release this week, Delta Airlines announced plans to partner with Joby Aviation for the operation of Joby’s eVTOL aircraft in New York and Los Angeles with seamless integration between Joby and Delta services. According to the release, “The partners will work together to create a differentiated, premium experience for Delta customers featuring seamless booking, simplified transit, and greater time savings. This will run alongside Joby’s standard airport service in priority markets. The partnership will be mutually exclusive across the U.S. and U.K. for five years following commercial launch, with the potential to extend that period.”

“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,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “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.”

“We share Delta’s unwavering commitment to delivering seamless and sustainable journeys to customers,” said Joby Founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt. “Their history of innovation, along with their vast operational expertise and leadership on climate change, make them incredible partners for Joby, and it’s an honor to be working alongside them.”

Joby’s eVTOL aircraft is one of the most technologically mature in the aerial mobility space. The company has conducted over 1,000 test flights to date and was the first eVTOL company to be granted a G-1 (Stage 4) Certification Basis as well as its Part 135 Air Carrier Certification by the FAA.

Why it matters: Joby and Delta’s partnership is the latest in a series of airline-eVTOL partnerships announced this year alone. With Delta offering its passengers a seamless, premium service connecting the last leg from the airport to home, starting with New York and Los Angeles, the airline has an immense opportunity to revolutionize commercial air travel.

Source // Joby, Delta

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Posted by Ross Piscoran

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