An air taxi is an electric aircraft that takes off vertically like a helicopter but sounds quieter and is simpler in design. Instead of one large rotor it has many small ones on electric motors. The idea is short flights over the city: from the airport to the center in minutes, without traffic jams or helicopter roar. The aircraft fly and are going through certification, but as of mid-October 2026 neither Joby nor Archer has paying passengers.
How it works
An electric motor has essentially one moving part — the rotor — so an aircraft can carry many motors, each with its own propeller and its own controller. If one fails, the others redistribute the thrust and the aircraft keeps flying: losing one motor is not a crash. The onboard computer constantly changes the speed of each propeller and keeps the machine level even in gusts of wind. The pilot only has to set the direction, not balance.
There are two layouts. A multicopter is like a big drone: the propellers face up and there is no wing; that is how EHang’s aircraft are built, and they have received all their certificates in China. A tiltrotor takes off on propellers pointed upward, then tilts them forward and flies on a wing like an airplane. The wing provides lift almost for free, and the charge lasts for a longer distance. Joby and Archer build their aircraft on this layout.
The quiet comes from propeller physics. Noise grows with the speed of the blade tips, and air taxi propellers are designed so the tips move slower than a helicopter’s: the sound is lower and smoother, and the aircraft is noticeably quieter. The weak spot is the battery: per kilogram it stores dozens of times less energy than kerosene, so routes are short. Ground infrastructure is needed too: vertiports with charging. Joby opened the first certified site at Dubai airport.
Where it already works
- Dubai: Joby opened a certified vertiport at the airport.
- China: EHang has received all certificates for its aircraft.
- Paid flights in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are expected in 2026–2027.
- Future routes: airport — city center, resort — island, city — suburb.
What to consider
- Joby and Archer have no paying passengers yet — start dates for flights may slip.
- Flights are short: the battery limits range and the reserve for bad weather.
- You need sites with charging and permits in each country — without them the aircraft will not take off.
- The ticket price is not known yet; it is too early to compare with a taxi or a helicopter.