Uber Technologies Inc. customers will be able to book Blade’s helicopter and seaplane services directly within the Uber app as early as next year, as part of an expansion of the ride-hailing company’s partnership with Joby Aviation Inc.

Blade’s passenger business, which Joby acquired in August, currently operates routes in the New York metropolitan area and southern Europe via its own consumer app. It has passenger lounges and landing points in places like Manhattan, the Hamptons and airports such as JFK and Newark. Blade rides currently start at $195 per seat between Manhattan and JFK or Newark airports, according to its website.

The two companies said in a statement that the booking shortcut will help Joby and Blade reach the millions of consumers who have already downloaded the Uber app on their phones. It will also lay the foundation for the introduction of Joby’s electrically powered aircraft in the years ahead, according to JoeBen Bevirt, founder and chief executive officer of Joby.

The company has been working to certify its own air taxi service in several markets across the world, including in Dubai, New York, Los Angeles, the UK and Japan, it said. Joby has said it aims to begin its first commercial passenger services in Dubai by early 2026.

For Uber, the addition of flight reservations underscores its “super app” ambitions to offer users various modes of transportation, which include sedans, two-wheelers, shuttles and autonomous rides.

Shares of Joby jumped as much as 7% after markets opened in New York. Uber’s stock fell as much as 1.1%.

Uber and Joby have been partners ever since the ridesharing company sold its flying taxi division to Joby in 2020, part of cost-cutting initiatives that Uber, then a newly listed company, undertook while endeavoring to turn a profit. Uber is also an investor in Joby, holding an approximately 2.6% stake worth $232 million in the June 30 quarter, according to Bloomberg’s analysis of an August regulatory filing.

Joby agreed in August to buy Blade’s helicopter business for as much as $125 million, leaving Blade’s medical division — which specializes in transporting human organs — as a standalone public company. Blade founder Rob Wiesenthal has stayed on as CEO of the helicopter unit since the transaction closed.

(With assistance from Chester Dawson.)

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