Developer partners with North America’s largest parking network operator to build out AAM air taxi infrastructure
Story and Image Credit: Jack Daleo
飛行雜誌
Biometrics and computer vision are technologies not typically associated with flight. But they could be a fixture of vertiports for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis.
Joby Aviation, one of the leading U.S. eVTOL air taxi developers, on Thursday said it is partnering with Metropolis—North America’s largest parking network operator—to build 25 artificial intelligence-powered vertiports among the latter’s 4,200-plus properties, as well as in new locations. It said the selected sites will be in “early air taxi markets,” which for Joby include New York and Los Angeles.
Joby said the dedicated takeoff and landing hubs will feature Metropolis’ biometrics, computer vision, and AI “recognition” technologies. They will also utilize the company’s Bags VIP luggage handling service, which Joby will soon test on its Blade helicopter service in New York City.
飛行 asked Metropolis whether its technology involves facial recognition, to which the company responded that its computer vision platform is used both in and outside the vehicle, going beyond traditional license plate recognition. It said users consent to all data collected.
“By leveraging existing parking infrastructure to create mobility hubs, we can deliver on our vision of seamless connectivity for our customers and also maximize the value of those sites without needing to build infrastructure from scratch,” said JoeBen Bevirt, CEO and founder of Joby.
How It Works
Per its website, Metropolis’ highly automated and digitized system “captures every event” and “automatically perceives identity, presence and behavior even in complex, challenging environments.” Put differently, it allows users to access parking garages without stopping at the kiosk for a ticket.
The system is also installed at more than 350 airport locations, including Chicago O’Hare International (KORD), Miami International (KMIA), Washington Dulles International (KIAD), and Dayton International (KDAY)—where Joby’s high-volume manufacturing facility is expected to one day churn out 500 air taxis per year.
Metropolis told 飛行 that the company layers remote baggage check, computer vision, and other systems into parking infrastructure that is already permitted and connected to utilities. It said that in the past 12 months, it has installed systems for ticketless parking and payment, automatic entry and exit, and real-time validation at seven airports.
The company’s “recognition platform” uses software, machine learning, and camera systems to enable “real-time identification,” according to its website. That allows members—of which there are an estimated 20 million—to “drive in, fly out” without waiting for parking, checking baggage, or sitting around for a shuttle.
Per Joby, Metropolis’ aviation offerings also span advanced luggage logistics, remote check-in, and in-terminal guest services.
“We are taking the data and recognition capabilities we’ve built in our network and extending it to air travel,” said Alex Israel, CEO of Metropolis.
Metropolis said the system is fully automated and trained on large quantities of real-world data. A dedicated cybersecurity team oversees operations, and many locations have on-site personnel to answer questions, assist with registration, or take manual payment when necessary.
AI for Air Taxis
Metropolis in a blogpost said it envisions the AI-powered system managing vertiport access and air taxi bookings, producing live status reports, and coordinating vehicle movements.
Per the company’s analysis, the U.S. by 2030 will require about 5 million square feet of new infrastructure—equivalent to about 30,000 parking spaces—to accommodate eVTOL air taxis like Joby’s. Vertiports will need to house charging and servicing stations, passenger lounges, and other amenities while leaving enough room for takeoff and landing.
“Autonomous systems require reliable places to operate; locations to stage, charge, park, land, take off, be serviced, load and hand off passengers or goods,” Metropolis said. “When infrastructure cannot digitally identify, authorize, and coordinate these interactions, autonomy breaks down at the moments that matter most.”
Though Joby’s air taxi will be piloted at launch, the company plans to one day be autonomous. Its Superpilot autonomy system, acquired in 2024, over the summer racked up more than 7,000 autonomous miles equipped on a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan during a military exercise in the Pacific
Joby said the idea behind partnering with Metropolis is to improve the passenger experience through connectivity. It plans to offer on-demand services through integrations with Blade, Uber, and Delta Air Lines. But those operations will be based out of vertiports, requiring passengers to travel on another mode before flying in the air taxi.
“For air taxis to deliver on their promise of seamless urban travel, they must connect directly with the existing ground transportation ecosystem,” said Bevirt.
The move also aligns with the U.S. government’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) National Strategy, a 10-year blueprint, published Wednesday, that aims to cement U.S. leadership in technologies such as eVTOL.
A core tenet of the strategy is repurposing existing infrastructure—such as Metropolis’ parking garages or the facilities Joby acquired from Blade—for early air taxi operations. Joby is also electrifying FBO terminals owned by Signature Aviation, Atlantic Aviation, and Clay Lacy Aviation.
“Joby’s operational strategy has always focused on using a blend of existing and new infrastructure to deploy its air taxi services,” the company said Wednesday.
When Will Vertiports Come Online?
Joby this month reiterated its goal of beginning passenger operations in 2026, which could be the year its AI-powered vertiports become operational.
The company’s test aircraft combined flew more than 850 times in 2025 and surpassed 50,000 hours in the air. In November, it powered on the first conforming aircraft it will use for type inspection authorization (TIA) testing, during which FAA test pilots will take the controls. Those evaluations are expected to begin in the coming months. Four additional conforming aircraft are in production.
Anticipating commercial operations as soon as next year, Joby this week also 宣布 a production ramp-up at its facilities in Dayton, Ohio, and Marina, California.
Earlier this year, the company announced plans to double its manufacturing capacity from 12 aircraft to 24. On Wednesday, it said it will again double capacity from 24 to 48, or four aircraft per month.
Joby said it is working with Toyota—which in May agreed to make a $500 million investment—toward a “strategic manufacturing alliance.” Competitor Archer Aviation has a similar arrangement with automaker Stellantis.
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