Up, up, up and away! Airbus and Uber have struck a deal that will see them taking on-demand transportation in the sky.
Airbus, you provide the helicopters – and we’ll do the rest.
That’s the basic philosophy behind a new partnership between Uber, the ride-sharing giant, and Airbus, the French aerospace manufacturer.
The new and exciting initiative will launch at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah beginning on the January 22 and ending on the February 1. During the film festival, attendees will be able to hail helicopters to get around the event – because god forbid, celebrities can’t actually use their legs…
Anyway, this is how it will work: once you’ve ordered your helicopter via the Uber smartphone app, an Uber car will collect you and take you to a helipad for your flight. Pretty simple, eh?
But be warned: this new service won’t be cheap (duh!).
In 2013, Uber offered on-demand choppers from New York City to the Hamptons (a distance of around 160km, or a 40 minute flight) costing USD $3000 for up to 5 passengers. That’s about USD $600 a pop – about the cost of a return flight to Bali.
Tom Enders, CEO, Airbus
The new Uber-Airbus partnership comes during a period of slow sales for Airbus helicopters, and it’s hoped that the new program will expand customer reach for helicopter operators and result in improved uptake of its helicopter range.
“It’s a pilot project. We’ll see where it goes – but it’s pretty exciting.”
Tom Enders, CEO, Airbus
Airbus will be supplying Uber with H125 and H130 helicopters, which will be operated by a local Utah company.