Virgin drops Vertical in favour of Joby’s proposed UK air taxi operations

Virgin Atlantic has abandoned its relationship with Vertical Aerospace in favour of a deal with US air taxi developer Joby Aviation. The UK-based long-haul carrier announced on 16 March a partnership with Joby aimed at integrating air taxi operations into its passenger-carrying network. Asked about a previous plan, announced in 2021, to pursue similar operations with UK air taxi developer Vertical, Virgin tells FlightGlobal that deal was dissolved in November. “Joby is the market leader and their existing relationship with our shareholder and joint venture partner, Delta, allows us to explore end-to-end journeys in the UK and the US,” Virgin says. Joby has been partnered since 2022 with Delta Air Lines, which owns a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic. Together, Delta and Joby have envisioned the roll-out of city centre-to-airport air taxi services that would flow passengers into Delta’s hubs. Virgin and Joby will pursue a similar model, with air taxi routes established “across the UK” but starting at Virgin’s hubs at Heathrow and Manchester airports. The carrier says it will boost Joby’s UK market entry “through marketing the service to customers, engaging regulators alongside Joby and helping to build support for the development of landing infrastructure at key airports”. Virgin envisions an air taxi service in which its passengers can reserve a seat on a four-seat Joby aircraft via Virgin’s mobile app and website. <br/>