Visitors to Salford Quays got an early look at the future of airport travel this week, as a Joby Aviation electric air taxi — often mistaken for an oversized drone — was put on public display in the Piazza at Media City for two days.
Joby and Virgin Atlantic have partnered to bring the aircraft to the UK, with the goal of making short hops between cities possible at speeds of up to 200mph. The display forms part of a mini UK tour that’s already taken in Tower Bridge in London and the Farnborough Airshow in Hampshire, aimed at building public interest ahead of a wider rollout.
Max Coppin, Joby’s UK lead, told the Manchester Evening News the aircraft “takes off like a helicopter but flies like a plane,” using four propellers that tilt between vertical and horizontal depending on speed, each driven by two motors for redundancy — meaning the aircraft can keep flying even if a motor or propeller fails. It’s powered by four cross-wired batteries, carries a pilot and up to four passengers plus light hand luggage, and runs at around 45 decibels — roughly the sound of wind moving through trees.
On the Manchester route specifically, Coppin said the plan is to cut the journey from the city centre to Manchester Airport down to “5 minutes or so rather than 45.” Pricing is expected to sit in the “Uber Exec” range — Coppin estimated around £40 for a Manchester Airport to Salford Quays trip, and roughly £120 for Heathrow to central London. The service will be bookable through the Uber app under the “Uber Air powered by Joby” branding, which Uber has already begun rolling out ahead of Joby’s first commercial passenger flights in Dubai later this year. Riders will simply enter their destination in the Uber app, and if the trip qualifies, the air taxi option will appear alongside ordinary ground transport, with a single tap booking the whole journey — including the Uber car pickup and drop-off at either end.
It’s still early days — the aircraft is in the final stages of US Federal Aviation Authority certification, after which the UK Civil Aviation Authority will need to validate that certification before it can fly here. Joby currently operates under visual flight rules, meaning flights depend on clear weather, though the company hopes to expand into more challenging conditions over time. Joby has named London and Manchester as its two key UK locations, largely because of Virgin Atlantic’s existing customer base at both airports.
For UK taxi, private hire and airport transfer operators, it’s worth keeping an eye on how this develops — a genuine 5-minute Manchester Airport-to-city-centre journey, booked straight from the Uber app, would sit well above standard taxi and PHV fares but could reshape the premium end of the airport transfer market over the next few years.
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