Will Electric Air Taxis Bring Quieter Skies To Manhattan? **UPDATED**

NEW YORK CITY – The New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) will soon transition management of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at Pier 6 – near the Battery – to a new operator, EDC head Andrew Kimball confirmed in a statement on Tuesday.

After a competitive request for proposal process, NYCEDC is thrilled to announce ‘Downtown Skyport’ as the new operator of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. ‘Downtown Skyport’ is committed to realizing the Adams Administration’s vision to position the city as an industry leader in the adoption of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft — a quieter and greener helicopter alternative — while at the same time leading on the heliport’s blue highways capabilities by facilitating waterborne freight and last-mile deliveries via electric cargo bikes removing trucks off congested roadways. New York City is a leader in driving technology innovation while enhancing quality of life for all New Yorkers, and today, we are propelling those plans forward at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport with a new operator.

Downtown Skyport, a partnership of European aviation companies Skyports Infrastructure and Groupe ADP, will be issued a five-year, $14.7 million contract, according to Crain's, the term of which will run from February 2025 through January 2035 (with options to extend through 2045).

Downtown Skyport will reportedly pay the city either a minimum of $2.75 million annually – subject to a 4 percent annual increase – or 42.5 percent of gross earnings from the heliport, whichever is greater.

The transition aims to nurture the development eVTOL aircraft in the city – think futuristic helicopters – an approach that aligns with Mayor Eric Adams' vision for quieter, more sustainable air transportation. EDC has said it anticipates these aircraft to be operational within the next five years, and possibly even as soon as 2026.

The heliport will also serve as a new hub for maritime freight distribution, where e-bikes and other vehicles which move packages from the waterfront to their ultimate destinations.

Forward-Thinking Or Just More Noise?

Helicopter-related noise pollution is a major issue in the city, with about 59,000 complaints recorded in 2023 alone (if you'd like to file a complaint, learn more about how to do so here).

On the other hand, EDC said at a hearing earlier this year that the city’s heliports generate $78 million in economic impact. But when asked for a breakdown of that number by Council Member Amanda Farías – who represents the Bronx – the EDC’s Jennifer Sun differentiated only between $50 million in direct impact and $20 million in indirect impact. A more detailed breakdown of these numbers wasn't provided, but the dollar amounts represent overall economic activity generated in NYC, not direct revenue to the city.

What do the electric air taxis sound like? Joby Aviation, which tested one of these contraptions about a year ago at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, has a comparison video here.

Are they quieter than the helicopters to which we're accustomed? You be the judge. They certainly sound a little different.

Whatever the case may be, while the addition of electric air taxis to the city's transit mix may add a new option for those who wish to quickly scoot from Manhattan to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), it will likely worsen – or do very little to address – the concerns of those who believe our skies are already too loud, as the vast majority of the city’s helicopter traffic isn’t a point-to-point transfer, but sightseeing. In fact, approximately 95 percent of traffic in and out of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport is sightseeing flights, officials said.

In Manhattan, only the Downtown Manhattan Heliport is authorized to serve as a hub for sightseeing tours, and it operates the most flights of any heliport in the metro area, with flights from Kearny, New Jersey taking second place. Non-tour flights from the West 30th Street Heliport, "East of NYC," and JFK came in third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, according to a City Council analysis of FlightRadar24 data.

As of April, EDC wasn’t planning to require that tourist operators who utilize the Downtown Manhattan Heliport shift to the cleaner, quieter birds. Operators will, however, need to demonstrate replacement of at least 50 percent of sightseeing tours to eVTOL aircraft before EDC will consider revisiting flight limits, in what appears to be a conditional checkpoint designed to ensure meaningful progress toward the reputedly quieter and more sustainable operations. EDC plans to further incentivize the shift by charging lower landing fees for eVTOLS, for example, in addition to requiring the construction of the infrastructure to support them.