Private equity and real estate firm Reuben Brothers and Joby Aviation announced Thursday plans to develop an air taxi vertiport at Park Elm Residences at Century Plaza in Los Angeles. The proposed site would use the South Tower’s existing helipad for Joby’s all-electric eVTOL aircraft and include charging capability. Plans also call for a passenger lounge at the building, which Joby said would be its first such lounge in a residential development.
No timeline was provided for when the vertiport could become operational.
The companies said the service would provide on-demand flights within the Los Angeles area, including airport trips, pending local, state and federal approvals. Joby said it would be responsible for the vertiport and lounge build-out, operations, flight arrangements and passenger experience, while Reuben Brothers would incorporate the service into the amenities offered to residents.
Joby said the Los Angeles site, in the Century City district, could become part of a broader vertiport network in the area. The company said it remains in the final stages of certifying its aircraft for commercial operations.
“Given its Century City location, Park Elm Residences at Century Plaza, South Tower is ideally positioned to anchor a broader Los Angeles vertiport network,” Rob Wiesenthal, CEO of Joby’s Blade Air Mobility division, said. “We expect this network to completely reshape how residents move through the city, beginning with airport trips.”
Pilotless taxi? Not for me or any of my friends that I’ve asked.