Skyports Infrastructure has successfully completed a week-long flight campaign at Downtown Skyport, marking the first time multiple point-to-point eVTOL flights have been facilitated in New York City.
Between April 23 and May 1, 2026, the facility served as the primary operations and charging hub for Joby Aviation’s “2026 Electric Skies Tour.” During this period, the vertiport received five flights, highlighting its unique status as the only commercial vertical aviation site in Manhattan currently capable of supporting electric aircraft charging.
The flight program focused on tracing future commercial routes, connecting Downtown Skyport and the West 30th and East 34th Street Heliports to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). These electric aerial journeys are designed to reduce travel time between Lower Manhattan and JFK to less than 10 minutes. A central event on April 28 brought together government officials and local stakeholders to witness the aircraft’s vertical take-off and landing capabilities and its significantly reduced noise profile compared to traditional rotorcraft.
This campaign serves as a critical milestone for Skyports Infrastructure as it transitions the Downtown Skyport into a hybrid facility capable of serving both helicopters and eVTOLs. Since taking over the concession from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), Skyports has been contractually committed to making the site Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) ready. Plans are currently in the advanced stages to install permanent rapid charging infrastructure, which is expected to be fully operational by 2027.
Addison Ferrell, Director of Infrastructure, Skyports Infrastructure, said, “These landings demonstrate how eVTOL flights can already be supported by the infrastructure at Downtown Skyport and be seamlessly integrated into our existing operations. With plans already well underway for fitting permanent rapid charging, we’re making strong progress in enabling the facility for permanent, commercial eVTOL operations, which will give New Yorkers access to a critical node in the NYC network.”
The flight campaign also utilized the White House-backed eIPP initiative to demonstrate the feasibility of zero-emission transit in dense urban environments.
JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby, added, “New York has always been a city that defines the future by demanding better. We first flew here in 2023, and now we’ve shown what the next chapter looks like: a quiet, zero operating emissions air taxi service designed to better serve New Yorkers. Last week, flying between JFK and Manhattan, we showed what the White House-backed eIPP initiative makes possible and offered New York a look at what’s coming.”
