Joby and Atoms have formed a strategic partnership to acquire and develop vertiport sites in the United States. The companies will initially focus on Florida, New York and Texas, markets where Joby is preparing to launch early operations under the eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, as well as California.

Joby's aircraft is nearing commercial readiness, having flown its first FAA-conforming aircraft and entered the final stage of FAA type certification. Piloted flights across the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City have demonstrated the aircraft's operational capability. As air taxis move from certification to early operations, the constraint shifts to the ground, with aircraft needing places to land, charge and connect passengers to onward journeys.

Travis Kalanick, founder and CEO of Atoms, says: “Smart cities require innovative real estate and infrastructure development. As new transport modes and smart city services become available, designing and deploying a new asset class to support them is critical.”

Under the partnership, Atoms will develop vertiports as transportation hubs where electric aircraft, autonomous ground vehicles and ridesharing services converge, enabling passenger connections, aircraft servicing and last-mile ground transportation. Atoms Real Estate specialises in power-intensive, complex deployments delivered through in-house architecture, engineering, technology and construction teams.