Joby Aviation has formed a strategic partnership with Atoms, the infrastructure and real-estate company founded by Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick, to acquire and develop vertiports for electric air-taxi operations across the United States. The initial focus is Florida, New York, Texas and California, where Joby is preparing early launches under the White House-backed eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.
Atoms will identify, acquire and develop sites for the network, while Joby will provide the aircraft design and passenger-flow requirements needed for commercial operations. The project is aimed at building the ground infrastructure required for eVTOL service, including landing, charging and passenger transfers.
The partnership extends Joby’s move from aircraft development toward the operational layer needed for commercial service. It also reconnects Joby with Kalanick, whose former company Uber sold its air-taxi unit, Uber Elevate, to Joby. The companies did not disclose investment size, the number of planned sites or a timetable for the first vertiports.